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The Georgetown Hoyas and Villanova Wildcats are set to do battle Friday night. Big East play is opening up with this showdown of two conference mainstays, as this rivalry is set to add yet another chapter.
The Wildcats come into this game with a 4-1 record on the year. Their lone loss was to Virginia Tech, and they have otherwise conquered every test in front of them. They are on the heels of a huge road win over the mighty Texas Longhorns this past Sunday. That’s among the best wins of the year for any team this season, and very well might be the premier victory of the year.
Georgetown on the other hand is 2-2 on the season. The Hoyas started the year with a 70-62 win over UMBC. They most recently defeated the Coppin State Eagles 80-48, and sandwiched between those two games were their two defeats. The Hoyas dropped games to the Navy Midshipmen and to the West Virginia Mountaineers. The WVU loss is the lesser of two evils, as the ‘Neers are ranked 5th on KenPom. The Midshipmen meanwhile sit 178th, so the Hoyas, ranked 97th on KenPom, did eat a bit of a bad loss there.
The Hoyas are going to have to play at their absolute peak to stand up to ‘Nova. Their offensive numbers have been pretty average thus far, but average might not cut it. The Wildcats have been above average meanwhile, and sit 4th in the nation in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency. Georgetown, meanwhile, is ranked 109th in that category. Defensively, the Hoyas could present some issues to be fair. Their defensive numbers have been pretty good this season in just about every category. The only area where they’re lacking is forcing turnovers. And the trouble is, Villanova is one of the best teams in the nation at taking care of the basketball.
One area that this game could come down to is FT shooting. Villanova currently has a mark of 72.2 percent from the line in their first five games. The Hoyas, on the other hand, have been pretty putrid at the line, shooting 63.5 percent. If this comes down to free throws? ‘Nova will almost certainly have the edge. It should be noted though that neither team has gotten to the line much at all. Both teams’ FTRate (FTA/FGA) are in deep down in the 200s among the 353 Division 1 teams.
How to Watch
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Watch Online: Fox Sports Go
Odds
Spread: Villanova -11.5
Total: 143.5
Moneyline: Villanova -900 | Georgetown +610