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Freshman Jason Clark will likely see his first ranked opponent this weekend.

Georgetown has much to be thankful for on Thursday. Center Greg Monroe has quickly shown himself to be as good a freshman as the Hoyas have had in years, sophomore guard Chris Wright has immediately proved to be a dynamic addition to the starting five, and when the No. 21 Hoyas (2-0) tip off against Wichita State at the Old Spice Classic they will be facing the worst team – by far – at the tournament.

Georgetown opens up play at the Thanksgiving weekend tournament against the Shockers (2-1) of the Missouri Valley Conference. Though Hoyas’ Head Coach John Thompson III will stress to his team the dangers of looking past Wichita State, the Hoyas are not likely to face a serious challenge. Wichita State, which lost at home to Missouri-Kansas City last Wednesday and beat Centenary last night, finished 11-20 (4-15 MVC) a year ago and was picked to finish ninth in the 10-team league this season.

What comes after Wichita State should be a far different level of play. Georgetown will face either No. 12 Tennessee or Siena, which upset Vanderbilt in the first round of last year’s NCAA tournament, and should the Hoyas be fortunate enough to advance to the finals, they are likely to face No. 5 Michigan State or No. 9 Gonzaga. With three games in four days and two opportunities to face ranked teams, the Hoyas should get a taste of what is to come when Big East play arrives.

“I put that tournament on the schedule to get a feel for where we are so we can see what we have to improve on,” Thompson said after his team’s win over Drexel. “Everything in the preseason is done with an eye towards getting ready for Big East play.”

Wichita State has been led thus far by senior forward Ramon Clemente, who was averaging 11 points and 14.5 rebounds heading into last night’s contest. Clemente pulled down 17 boards against UMKC. Toure’ Murry, a freshman guard, chips in 10.5 points and 4.5 assists per game.

If the Shockers have anything on which to hang their hats, it is rebounding. Wichita State has outrebounded its first two opponents by an average of 18 boards per game, which has helped the Shockers attempt 21 more shots than opponents. Thus far, Georgetown’s greatest struggle has been on the boards. If Wichita State is to have any chance against the Hoyas, it will need to dominate the glass.

Assuming Georgetown can get past its first opponent, Friday’s competition will be of a different sort. The Volunteers are a deep team that gets good looks at the hoop, hits its shots and crashes the boards. After blowout wins against Chattanooga and Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee met a more serious challenge from Middle Tennessee State, which it defeated 76-66 last Friday.

The Vols are led by 6-foot-7 junior forward Tyler Smith, who averages 19.3 points and six rebounds in only 28 minutes per game. Six other Tennessee players average between 9.3 and 11.7 points. Freshman Scottie Hopson, who chips in 10.7 a game, has converted five of his 10 three-point attempts, and junior guard Bobby Maze has 20 assists in three games.

aze, a Suitland, Md., native and former AAU teammate of Kevin Durant, initially committed to and played for Oklahoma but was dismissed from the team after his freshman season. Last year, he played for Hutchinson Junior College, where he averaged 20 points and seven assists – good enough to earn a scholarship offer from his hometown Maryland Terrapins. In April, however, the offer was rescinded, according to multiple media reports, and in May, Maze committed to Tennessee. Though the competition in Tennessee’s first three games has not been up to SEC level, Maze has already shown he belongs in big-time college basketball. Should the Hoyas and Vols face off, the Wright-Maze matchup could be one of the best of the tournament.

Tennessee has posted 46 rebounds per game to its opponents’ 31. Wayne Chism, a 6-foot-9, 242-pound banger, leads the way, with 6-foot-10 sophomore center Brian Williams (7.3 per game) and Smith (six per game) doing their part as well. Should they face the Volunteers, the Hoyas will need to do their best to limit Tennessee’s rebounding advantage.

Of course, there is no guarantee Georgetown will even play Tennessee. Siena, picked unanimously by league coaches to win the MAAC, could pull off the upset. Kenny Hasbrouck, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from Capital Heights, Md., has averaged 21 points, 5.5 rebounds and three assists in the Saints first two contests, wins against Boise State and Cornell. Hasbrouck has made 55.6 percent of his field goals, including 5-of-8 on three-pointers. He scored 30 points on 9-of-14 shooting in last year’s upset of Vanderbilt.

Anchoring Siena in the middle is 6-foot-8 sophomore forward Ryan Rossiter, who has averaged nine points and nine boards thus far. If Rossiter’s name sounds familiar, it is because the Hoyas faced his older brother, Stephen, when they played Davidson in last March’s NCAA tournament.

Siena has thus far held its own on the defensive end. The Saints have limited opponents to 34.8 percent shooting from the field, including 22 percent from deep, and have forced 38 turnovers in two games. Of course, Siena has yet to see anything close to the offense Georgetown boasts.

After an off day on Saturday, the Hoyas will face Michigan State, Maryland, Oklahoma State or Gonzaga. Battling Michigan State or Gonzaga would be a valuable early season test against one of the nation’s best teams, facing Maryland would give local fans the dream matchup they’ve been wishing for since the squads last faced off in 2001, and opposing Oklahoma State would give Georgetown a realistic chance to beat a solid team from a top conference.

Visit https://www.thehoya.com this weekend for full-court coverage of Georgetown’s trip to the Old Spice Classic and an in-depth preview of its final-round opponent.

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