So you might recall the last time we played Georgetown. Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green destroyed us, Aaron Gray played the worst 40 minutes of basketball ever seen, and we lost the Big East championship game. Green moved on to the NBA but Roy Hibbert decided to stick around, and his matchup with DeJuan Blair will obviously get much of the attention.
Roy Hibbert vs. DeJuan Blair. With all the momentum Hibbert has coming into the game, defense, not offense, is a point of emphasis here. Blair averages nearly 13 rebounds a game in conference play and rebounds are essential for Pitt to control the game. [Hoya Saxa]
What concerns me the most is Georgetown’s point guard, Jonathan Wallace. He’s a step (or two or three) faster than Ronald Ramon, which can create space for Wallace to either hit threes or force another Pitt defender to play help defense — which in turn opens up another man.
The rest of the Hoya starting lineup will probably be:
G — Wallace
G — Jessie Sapp — will be covering Benjamin on defense, is quick enough to force turnovers
F — Austin Freeman — Only a freshman and smaller than Gilbert Brown who will probably be covering him. One of the few times Brown might have the advantage in a matchup all year.
F — DaJuan Summers — Essentially the same role that Jeff Green played
C — Hibbert
Georgetown is ranked 5th in the nation with a 13-1 overall record with a 3-0 mark in Big East games over Rutgers, DePaul, UConn. The win over UConn came in the final seconds when Roy Hibbert hit a three pointer (seriously! video here). Their only real test came from #2 Memphis (at Memphis) where Hibbert was help to 6 points and the entire team looked over matched. Most of the game was the Chris Douglas-Roberts show for Memphis, and he finished with 24 points.
There are some grumblings that Terelle Pryor might be in attendance. It’s been my opinion that ever since Rich Rodriguez told Pryor before any of his own players about his departure to Michigan than he was planning on following RichRod there. I think he is still considering Pitt in the back of his head, but I doubt we’ll get him. Anyways, a friend pointed out he really might just be using this as a way for tickets to the hoops game — a tactic used by an old friend… Anthony Morelli.
DON’T give Prior the royal treatment. Don’t hold up the signs, chant his name, et cetera. The guy has not done one thing to show a genuine interest in or respect for our program. I don’t wish ill on him, but I don’t want to devalue the process by saying “Hey, you’re good enough that we’ll do whatever we have to, even if you really don’t want to come here.” He’s said he wouldn’t come to Pitt because its too close to home, and yet he’s considering PSU. That’s a pretty clear sign of the respect he has for us. Don’t treat him like a king. When Shayne, Shady, etc. came in, we were in the running, they were giving us a fair chance, etc. Don’t devalue the treatment they got by throwing it at this guy.
I hope he does get the royal treatment by the Zoo, because it doesn’t hurt anything. I think Wannstedt can work miracles behind the scenes, maybe a heartfelt homecoming in the Zoo would make him think twice. Probably not…but we’ve got nothing to lose.
Tonights game should be a good one, I hope we can hold our own. Ramon is going to have to have a big game. LETS GO PITT!!
