After a strong start, an incomplete effort earns poor marks
After missing a week of grades (my bad), we’re returning to dole out individual game grades for this weekend’s Bowl Game in Providence. A loss at Providence is never, technically, a bad loss, but this was a winnable game going in and looked like a possible blowout win after the first 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the game is 40 minutes, not 10, and your Georgetown Hoyas could not match the intensity after their great start.
Lots of questions, few answers. Let’s see how they did.
Malik Mack – C-
8pts, 2-9 22% FG, 1-4 25% 3PT, 3-5 FT, 2 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2 TO, 37 MIN
We’ve seen Malik struggle with size and length in conference play, and this was another example. He could not get anything going to the basket, which then limited his production. His mid-range game (which is good) feeds off defenders, at least respecting his driving ability. When they aren’t worried about him getting to the rim, let alone finishing, they are sitting on his step back. Unfortunately, I don’t expect him to immediately improve in these areas (dealing with size offensively). These are areas for long-term growth that he’ll need to figure out. Against Providence, and in general, he needed to drive and kick more (though he didn’t have a lot of options) and look to his runner more where he’s been good, not great. I’ve noted how much he’s being asked to do, which certainly impacts his offensive game. That’s why he’s here, though, and he just needs to be a more consistent shooter. A combined 22% shooting day from your two guards will almost always end in a loss. His defense has remained extremely solid, even in a down-defensive game overall. He just has to figure out the spot on the floor he can get to and feel confident knocking down a shot.
Jayden Epps – C-
6pts, 3-14 21% FG, 0-3 3PT, 1 REB, 2 AST, 2 TO, 35 MIN
I’ll grade Jayden on a slight curve because he’s coming off of injury and is clearly rusty (as you would expect), but he was flat-out not good in this game. You don’t really have to look much beyond the 21% and 0-3 from three. That’s just going to be a loss more times than not. While he only had two turnovers officially, a couple of his missed shots amounted to live ball turnovers. Prime example: his weird heave on an off-balance corner three late in the ball game. He thought he was fouled and was clearly trying to sell the call. I have not seen a good angle to show he was or wasn’t fouled, but the shot itself was bad. He was running into a corner three, way off balance with time on the shot clock. The only good outcome from that action is a foul call, which is unlikely to happen. It’s just not a smart shot, and there were too many of those during this game. There needs to be a rule that Jayden cannot be the only player to touch the ball before a shot unless it is an end-of-clock possession. There were a couple of those in this one that were way too reminiscent of last year. Despite their offensive deficiencies, this team does not need Jayden going solo. I understand the approach; he’s thinking the team needs a bucket, and he’s on the floor to go do that. That’s just not the best option for this team, and it hurts them offensively. I am hoping this was just a feature of getting back into the rhythm after a long absence in a tough environment.
Micah Peavy – B+
27pts, 12-19 63% FG, 1-3 33% 3PT, 2 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 3 TO, 40 MIN
Tough to give out As in this game, but Micah was probably as deserving as anyone. He was really good offensively. He shot it efficiently. I have no issues with his offensive game. I thought this was his worst defensive outing in quite a while – though it was still very good for an average player. Two rebounds indicate the challenge the Hoyas had on the glass, which ultimately probably cost them. It’s a lot to ask him to go for 27 on crazy efficiency while playing high-level defense, getting no breaks and rebounding, so it’s not a huge surprise that something fell off. Unfortunately, Providence made the Hoyas pay for their problems on the glass. Bottom line, two players were good enough for the Hoyas to win in this one. Micah was one of them.
Drew Fielder – D
2pts, 1-1 FG, 0-1 FT, 3 REB, 1 AST, 2 BLK, 1 TO, 16 MIN
Rough outing for Drew. He got absolutely eaten up on the glass, which was the nail in the coffin for Georgetown. He’s been a great rebounder this year, so this one was a bit of an aberration, but it was glaring. He lost out on a long rebound about halfway through the first half, which marked the turning point in this game. He just got out-run by a Providence player to a loose ball that he was the clear favorite to get. That was the missing intensity the Hoyas needed to win this game. Too many guys didn’t have it. Even with that, he had a chance to make a real imprint late in this game when he grabbed a big offensive board and finished through a foul. He missed the free throw and then proceeded to commit a really bad foul on a three-point shooter, which was the final blow. It was both a tough call and a foul. It’s just not a good enough contest and a foul you absolutely cannot give up. He knows that. Look for him to clean things up against SJU.
Thomas Sorber – B
25pts, 10-17 58% FG, 2-3 66% 3PT, 3-3 FT, 15 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 3 BLK, 1 TO, 40 MIN
Sorber is the other Hoya who played well enough to win this game. And the other Hoya, who played the full 40. He was absolutely on fire to start, knocking down two big threes and his first three shots overall. When he hit those threes, it looked like this would get ugly quickly. He was also the only Hoya consistently battling on the glass (besides Caleb in more limited minutes). Ultimately, he was good enough to win, but I knocked him down from a B+ for two reasons. First, he struggled to maintain his post position at times. He is just not wide enough or strong enough down low yet. He’ll get there, but it’s partly why this team struggles to get him the ball in the post (where he’s excellent once he has it). He’s just not able to seal and hold position for long enough. I suspect by next year, that won’t be an issue, as it’s just about building strength and awareness. The second reason I knocked him down was his bad foul on a three-point shooter in the corner in the second half. It came off a baseline inbound with four seconds on the shot clock. He was just a touch late on the read to the corner and contested way too hard. The Hoyas needed that stop there, and I honestly could make a case that without the two fouls on three-point shooters by Sorber and Fielder (resulting in 6 points), the Hoyas might have won this game.
Caleb Williams – B-
0pts, 4 REB, 2 TO, 16 MIN
Caleb returned to the bench with Jayden back in the starting lineup. It’s a much different role for him, but I thought he did well when he came in. He has a great understanding of what the team needs him to do. In this one, they desperately needed rebounding, and that’s what he gave them. He helped shore up the glass to give Georgetown a chance to get back into this game. As he continues to grow and improve, I expect he’ll be able to fill more gaps, including offensively, but right now, it’s great to have him come in and fix the biggest need the team has. Not many Freshmen can do that. I would consider keeping him in the starting lineup and bringing Jayden off the bench. At least, just try it. I think he helps the starting uni,t and I like the option of bringing Jayden in for a scoring boost. I also like the option of going small with Caleb at the 4 with Sorber, Peavy, Epps and Mack. That lineup has only played 55 possessions this year and is middle of the pack in terms of efficiency. I think it’s a good look against the right opponent.
Jordan Burks – C-
0pts, 6 MIN
Not much to grade Jordan on in this game. Georgetown’s bench was non-existent. I thought Jordan was fine but didn’t bring the energy and intensity to match Providence.
Curtis Williams – C
0pts, 3 REB, 9 MIN
Same story for Curtis, though he did get more involved on the boards. He couldn’t get a look offensively, which is a problem, given how well he has shot. The offensive balance was off in this game, and Curtis was one of the casualties. I don’t blame him for that, but I hope he can respond on Tuesday.
Offense – D- Currently ranked 159th in Off. efficiency per KenPom (previously 153rd)
107.3 Off. Rating, 50% eFG, 30% 3PT (4-13), 35.7 AST Rate
A+ for the first 10 minutes of this game. F- for the last 30. If I were the coaching staff, my sole purpose would be to try to understand why they started so well and what caused them to fall off a cliff. They had it going offensively in the first 10 minutes, spurred by Sorber’s shooting. They were much better defensively in the first 10 minutes, which helped create transition opportunities for their offense. Once Providence responded and amped up the intensity, Georgetown just fell off. When your two lead guards shoot 22% from the floor, you will probably lose, and Georgetown didn’t have answers outside of Sorber and Peavy. This looks like a really bad offensive effort, and it was, but if they get production from just one other player, I think they probably win. That’s how good Sorber and Peavy were. You can look at that as a positive: they’re close and just need to get some shots to fall, or a negative: they couldn’t find anything to get the rest of their offense moving. Coach has previously talked about their target of making eight threes, and I think that’s right. If they can get there, they give themselves a good chance. They only got up 13 in this game, including three from Sorber (who is not usually a three-point shooter). That just is not going to cut it. Mack and Epps need to be better at coming off screens and dribble-hand offs ready to fire from three rather than looking to probe and reset.
Defense – C Currently ranked 32nd in Def. efficiency per KenPom (previously 20th)
123.1 Def. Rating, 50% eFG, 7.8 TO Rate, 54.8 DRB Rate
Again, A+ for the first 10 minutes, D+ after that. This was their worst overall defensive game in a while. And I am not sure why. It just looks like the intensity and energy wasn’t there after the first ten minutes. That was absolutely the case on the glass. But on top of this being their second-worst rebounding game this year, it was their worst game forcing turnovers. They average a 20% forced turnover percentage on the year and only managed 7% in this game (8 total). The defense will not be as good with Epps on the floor, but it shouldn’t be this much of a drop. And the defensive issues were not about Jayden. It was overall a poor effort after the first 10 minutes. Figure out what happened and make sure it doesn’t again.
Next
Georgetown gets an opportunity for a statement win against St. John’s. SJU is on a roll right now, winning six straight, including the game they stole late from Georgetown in NYC. The Hoyas should have won that game and now get an opportunity to show why at home against the number 19-ranked team (per KenPom). Expect this to be an ugly, turnover-happy game. If Georgetown limits their live-ball turnovers, they can maybe squeeze this out. But make no mistake, SJU is the hottest team in the BE right now (and one of the hottest in the country). They will absolutely steamroll you if you let them.