LINKS: Hoyas Host Creighton on Wednesday to Start BIG EAST Play

Georgetown looks to take down first conference opponent in a while

Your Georgetown Hoyas (8-2) will host the Creighton Bluejays (7-4) at Capital One Arena this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network with Tom McCarthy, Steve Lappas, and Georgetown alumnus Roy Hibbert on the call. The game will also be broadcast on Team 980 locally and on the SiriusXM app with Rich Chvotkin providing commentary for his 51st season.

The Hoyas are coming off a 75-71 win against Syracuse and looking to build off of a signature defensive effort. Offensively, Georgetown—outside of Jayden Epps—did not look great in the JMA Wireless Arena and will have to find some better shooting if they want to outscore the traditionally fast-paced-distance-shooting of the Bluejays.

Maybe it goes without saying, but Georgetown has not beaten a conference opponent not-named-DePaul since a victory over Creighton, 73-48, in the BIG EAST Tournament on March 13th, 2021.

Creighton enters the game with a 7-4 record against a non-conference schedule featuring a fewTop 25 teams. The ‘Jays beat #14 Purdue to open the season and #1 Kansas two weeks ago, but lost to Nebraska (home), San Diego State (Las Vegas), #29 Texas A&M (LV), and #7 Alabama (away) on Saturday.

Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and All-American Ryan Kalkbrenner (17.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.5 bpg, .720 FG%) leads the Bluejays. A three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Kalkbrenner was also named BIG EAST and National Player of the Week on November 11th.

Senior point guard Steven Ashworth (16.3 ppg, 6.2 apg) returns, joined by Arizona State transfer Jamiya Neal (10.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.5 apg) on the wing. However, Texas Tech transfer Pop Isaacs (16.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg), who scored 27 points against Kansas, will miss the remainder of the season due to hip surgery.

A familiar scene for Greg McDermott’s sharpshooting squads, Creighton averages 77.7 points per game, shooting 47.0% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range, and 79.4% from the free-throw line.

Georgetown likely needs to keep Creighton below 70 points to have a shot, but they can’t forget to score themselves. The Hoyas will need Malik Mack and Micah Peavy to hit some threes if they want to lead near the end of the game.

Here are the links:

Surging Hoyas face first Big East test vs. Creighton | FLM

Over the last three seasons, the Hoyas have lost six straight to the Blue Jays, with each of the defeats coming by double-digit margins.

But off to its best start since 2017-18, Georgetown is plotting a turnaround season.

The leaders of the Hoyas’ resurgence have been Thomas Sorber and Jayden Epps, who share the team lead in scoring at 15.5 points per game.

Epps was brilliant against Syracuse, hitting 11 of 15 shots, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range, on his way to scoring 27 points.

After the win over the Orange, Cooley was more interested in talking about Epps’ defense.

“His development defensively, it’s almost like he’s a new player,” Cooley said.

Georgetown Hosts Creighton to Open BIG EAST Play | GUHoyas

Epps and Sorber lead the squad in scoring averaging 15.5 ppg apiece. Peavy (13.4) and Malik Mack (12.3) round out the Hoyas averaging double figures. All four are ranked among the top 30 in scoring in the BIG EAST.

Sorber leads the squad on the glass grabbing 8.2 rpg to rank second in the league, followed by Drew Fielder who’s pulling down 5.6 rpg and Mack (4.5 rpg).

Mack’s 4.3 apg paces the offense and he ranks 10th in the league in helpers.

Peavy is tied for eighth in the country and leads the BIG EAST in steals per game, picking 2.80 pockets per game.

Defensively, the team ranks second in the league and 29th nationally in steals per game (9.7). The Hoyas are forcing opponents to commit 15.60 turnovers per game, which ranks second in the conference.

Sorber has three double-doubles to his name, tied for third in the league.

Men’s Basketball Opens BIG EAST Play at Georgetown | Go Creighton

Creighton is 16-9 all-time against Georgetown and has won 13 of the last 16 meetings in the series… Creighton is 6-5 in Washington, D.C., against the Hoyas all-time, including four straight double-figure victories… Each of the last nine Bluejay wins, and each of the last eight series meetings regardless of victor, have been decided by double-digits…

Greg McDermott is 15-10 all-time (15-9 as Creighton coach) against Georgetown. McDermott is 12-13 in his career against Ed Cooley, including a 2-0 mark since Cooley was hired at Georgetown.

Cooley is 13-13 in his career against Creighton, having also lost a CIT game when he was head coach at Fairfield in addition to his 13-10 mark leading the Friars vs. CU. Cooley is 0-2 as Georgetown coach against Creighton.

Men’s Basketball Drops Non-Conference Finale at No. 7 Alabama | Go Creighton

Kalkbrenner had 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks at the break, while Ashworth had nine points while playing all 20 minutes. Alabama was paced by eight points from Labaron Philon in the first half as the Crimson Tide was limited to 38.5 percent shooting after missing 13 of its final 14 attempts before the break.

Alabama needed just 46 seconds to score the first five points of the second half to push the margin back into double-figures at 42-31. CU used an 8-2 surge to return the deficit to six at 53-47 with 11:24 to play.

A three-ball from Ashworth with 3:38 to play drew the Jays within seven at 70-63, CU cut the gap to six on three-balls by Neal (72-66) and Jackson McAndrew (77-71) twice in the final three minutes. CU had a chance to get within three with about a minute left after a defensive stop, only to miss an open look from downtown and be forced to foul.