For mid-major teams on Georgetown’s schedule, this is the year to take a bite out of the Hoyas.
Each of the losses for defending Big East champion Georgetown (2-3) has come to a team lower on the Division I food chain. That’s a good omen for Longwood (4-3) of the Big South, which travels to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night.
In a season in which many teams returned intact because of the extra year of eligibility provided by the pandemic, Georgetown lost three of last year’s top four scorers to the pros and the other, Qudus Wahab, via transfer to Maryland.
Despite the return of backcourt starters Dante Harris (14.2 points per game) and Donald Carey (12.4 points), Georgetown has struggled with ball-handling and playmaking. In losing twice at the Wooden Legacy, the Hoyas had 18 assists on 47 field goals while committing 29 turnovers.
“We have to make passes,” fifth-year coach Patrick Ewing said after a 73-56 loss to San Diego State. “We have to read where the defense is and make the right play.”
The prize of Georgetown’s recruiting class, Aminu Mohammed, averages 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds. Kaiden Rice, a transfer from The Citadel, contributes 13.4 points per game.
With Georgetown seeking cohesion, this is an opportunity for Longwood, which is largely intact from last season. Top scorer Juan Munoz transferred to Hawaii, but he was replaced by Wake Forest transfer Isaiah Wilkins, who is averaging 11.1 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game. Sixth man Leslie Nkereuwem leads the Lancers in scoring (12.9 points per game).
In its history, Longwood owns just one victory over a Power Six school. It was by three points over Texas Christian in 2013.
“We’ve got to execute a little better to win games like this,” Longwood coach Griff Aldrich said after his team fell on a buzzer-beater Friday at Old Dominion. “Our conference is going to be like this. There are gonna be close games.”
–Field Level Media
