For the first time since I was in high school, I’m hoping for a lot of snow over the next couple of days as they are predicting for the Cleveland area. Anything to cancel that damn open house for a preschool on Sunday during the game.
Game notes for Pitt and Georgetown (PDF for both).
Pitt hasn’t lost to Georgetown in DC since February 2000. Of course, G-town returned the favor last year by beating Pitt at the Pete.
Both Seth Davis at SI.com and Greg Doyel at Sportsline.com are going with Georgetown in this game. Davis:
It’s hard to tell which is more impressive: That Georgetown beat Duke two weeks ago or that the Hoyas haven’t lost since. Pitt is pretty impressive as well, but while the Panthers do their damage by imposing their rugged style on opponents, Georgetown is comfortable playing at a slower pace. And unlike Pittsburgh, the Hoyas consistently make shots. They lead the Big East in 3-point percentage in conference play, they’re are second in field goal percentage and they have four players averaging in double figures. Plus, in 7-2 sophomore Roy Hibbert, they have one of the few players in America who can stand eye-to-eye with Pitt’s rapidly improving behemoth, Aaron Gray.
Seth’s Pick: Georgetown 69, Pittsburgh 66
The winner of this game is going to the NCAA Tournament with a high seed. The loser of this game is going to the NCAA Tournament. Also with a high seed. So there’s no pressure. Let’s just enjoy the matchup of Pitt 7-footer Aaron Gray vs. Georgetown’s 7-2 Roy Hibbert. And Georgetown guard Ashanti Cook vs. Pitt’s Carl Krauser. And Georgetown forward Jeff Green vs. … wait a minute. Who does Pitt have who can stop Jeff Green? Pick: Not Levon.
I always feel better about Pitt’s chances when multiple pundits pick against them. Not that they aren’t making very good points. This is an incredibly balanced Hoya team. They aren’t as deep as Pitt, but they are very accurate shooters and incredibly balanced. All five starters average between 9.2 and 11.8 points per game. They also play a very good defense. The only clear advantage for Pitt is on the boards. Georgetown is a lousy rebounding team.
HoyaSaxa has an excellent preview/scouting report for the game.
Keys to the game:
1. Fouls. Pitt scores a lot of point via the line. The Panthers average 18 points a game via the free throw. Fewer fouls mean fewer points.
2. Aaron Gray. Gray’s ability to create points inside reduces pressure on Krauser outside. Hibbert and Green must reduce his impact and force Pitt outside..
3. Tempo. Georgetown’s success with Duke was predicated on maintaining a lead and weathering the storm. This is not a Pitt team that Georgetown can fall behind with, so keeping things close will be to Georgetown’s benefit, and there’s no 18-0 point against a team like Pitt.
Obviously, they didn’t look closely at what happened against St. John’s and Marquette. Pitt is fully capable of finding itself down 18-0. Georgetown with its variation of the Princeton offense, makes Pitt look like a fast break team. Georgetown’s tempo is one of the slowest in the country, while Pitt is closer to the average. They are, though one of the most efficient teams when they do shoot.
