The Big East standings are getting muddier by the day.
Sunday against No. 9 West Virginia, the No.15 Hoyas have a chance to make the standings even less clear, but to move closer to the top in the process.
After Georgetown’s commanding 64-41 victory over St. John’s and West Virginia’s narrow 57-53 loss at Pittsburgh last night, the Hoyas (17-4, 8-2 Big East) stand fourth in the Big East, just a half-game behind the triumvirate of Big East frontrunners.
No. 1 Connecticut (21-1, 8-1), No. 4 Villanova (18-2, 8-1) and West Virginia(17-5, 8-1), whose lost last night was its first Big East defeat, all sit atop the league standings. With its defeat of St. John’s, Georgetown moved to 8-2 and within one win of vaulting to the top of the standings.
Though the Hoyas are unlikely to assume sole possession of first place with a win against West Virginia – UConn does have a tough foe on their hands as they travel to Seton Hall (15-6, 6-3). But Villanova faces lowly DePaul (9-12, 2-8) – a win on Sunday would do wonders for the Hoyas’ once remote, now certainly reasonable, chances of capturing the Big East regular season title.
West Virginia, the last undefeated team in the Big East, suffered their first defeat just as Georgetown was winning its laugher over St. John’s. Senior forward Mike Gansey’s 12 points and senior guard Patrick Beilein’s 11 were not enough to overcome senior forward-center Kevin Pittsnogle’s scoreless 0-12 shooting.
Taking the court just four days after the birth of his son Kwynsie, Pittsnogle added four turnovers and five fouls to the worst performance of his career. His opposition for the evening was the seven-foot junior center Aaron Gray, who finished the affair with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Senior guards J.D. Collins and Joe Herber each chipped in nine points for the Mountaineers in the loss. On the evening, West Virginia shot a dismal 34 percent from the field, a pathetic 69 percent from the line, and an abominable 22 percent from beyond the arch. Their three-pointing shooting performance – 6-for-27 – was 14 percentage points below their season average entering the game.
While Pittsnogle was atrocious against Pittsburgh, he has had an outstanding year. Entering Thursday night’s contest, the tattooed, six-foot-11 senior was posting averages of 19.5 points and 6.3 rebounds, both of which led the team. Second to Pittsnogle in scoring is Gansey with 18.5 points, to go along with 5.5 boards.
Herber has been another vital cog for the Mountaineers, scoring 9.3 points and dishing out 5.2 assists per game. Junior forward Frank Young (8.4 points), Beilien (8.4), and Collins (4.4) all earn key minutes for Head Coach John Beilein.
While West Virginia was indeed horrendous last night – 53 points was 20 below their season average – that does not necessarily bode well for Georgetown. For most of the season, the ountaineers have exhibited efficiency on both ends of the floor deserving of their first-place standing.
Last night’s performance not withstanding, the ountaineers shoot 45.6 percent from the field, 36 percent from behind the arch. Georgetown does have the advantage here with a 48.6 percent clip from the field and 37.8 percent from three.
Running an offense similar to Georgetown’s Princeton one, West Virginia has taken an astronomic 611 three-pointers, or 29 a game. The Mountaineers exemplify “living by the three, dying by the three”: In addition to their 22 percent performance in last night’s loss, West Virginia has shot 27 percent (10-37), 33 percent (15-45), and 17 percent (5-29) in its last three losses.
If the Mountaineers want to hang tough with the Hoyas on Sunday, they cannot afford to shoot under 30 percent from the three. Though Georgetown also enjoys shooting the long ball, they are far more discerning in their attempts, averaging just fewer than 20 tries per game. Last night, the Hoyas weren’t enjoying their usual shooting touch, and they limited their attempts to 18, making six.
Like the Hoyas, the Mountaineers pride themselves on crisp passes leading to open looks. Led by Beilein, West Virginia dishes out an assist on roughly 70 percent of their field goals. Georgetown, conversely, racks up a dime on 64 percent of its baskets.
For once, Georgetown could have the rebounding advantage over a top-25 team. West Virginia averages 28.5 boards a game, while its opponents haul in an average of 37.9. Georgetown, by comparison, averages 32.4 rebounds to their opposition’s 29.4.
While they were outrebounded 35-23 in last weekends win over then-No. 9 Pitt, the Hoyas bounced back last night and held a 31-24 rebounding edge. The Mountaineers don’t figure to be as tough on the boards as the Panthers or UConn’s Huskies.
Sunday, of course, is not the first time Georgetown and West Virginia will square off this season. On Jan. 11, the Hoyas traveled to Morgantown and fell to the Mountaineers, 68-61. Despite a 23-21 halftime lead, Georgetown was unable to hang with West Virginia on the boards – they were outrebounded 33-29 – nor were the able to contain Pittsnogle, who went for 23. Additionally, the Hoyas allowed their Big East foe to shoot 56 percent in the second stanza, all but ensuring the loss.
Sophomore forward Jeff Green led Georgetown with 17 points and nine rebounds in the loss, while sophomore center Roy Hibbert chipped in 16 and sophomore guard Jon Wallace added 12 for the losing Hoyas.
“I think it was the end of the first half and the start of the second half that hurt us in that game,” Head Coach John Thompson III said of the earlier loss. “Other than that, I don’t think we did not match their intensity. We did not match their execution. But our intensity was there.”
That loss, of course, was before Georgetown’s defeat of Duke, a win that changed everything. Since the momentous victory on Jan. 21, the Hoyas have won five straight, and are victors of seven in a row overall. Georgetown has won nine in a row at home. Its only MCI Center blemish this year was the season’s first home game on Nov. 26 against Vanderbilt.
West Virginia is looking to rebound and Georgetown aims to both exact some revenge on the Mountaineers and continue its recent hot streak. Sunday’s match-up is likely to come down to defense as, if allowed, both teams can shoot the lights out.
Pittsnogle being the perimeter threat that he is – he is 56-for-132 from three on the year – it is unlikely that the large but relatively immobile Hibbert can stick with his fellow big man.
The Hoyas’ defensive game plan will likely hinge on their treatment of Pittsnogle. Whether it is the smaller Jeff Green or a zone defense, someone will need to keep Pittsnogle from exploding for another 20-plus points. And, if senior guard Ashanti Cooke, Wallace and senior forward Brandon Bowman can alter enough ountaineer shots, the Hoyas should be able to limit West Virginia’s scoring.
Offensively, like in any and every game, Georgetown simply needs to get open looks. If the Hoyas are patient enough to wait for the best opportunities, whether they be from two feet or twenty, their adept shooters should be able to score enough points to come away successful.
“You just got to come in with the right mindset,” Bowman said. “You got to work on what you did poorly against them the first time, execute, stop what they do and continue doing what you’re doing. We’ll see what happens.”
If the Hoyas maintain the hot shooting, careful ball handling, and savvy decision-making they’ve exhibited for almost a month, the upshot could very well be a Georgetown victory.
The Big East standings may not be getting any clearer, but one thing is for sure: The Hoyas are slowly, but surely, marching to the top.