Big East foes will lock horns when the Georgetown Hoyas (13-8) challenge the No. 10 Providence Friars (17-4) at the Verizon Center. The game begins at 8:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 30 and will air on FS1.
The Hoyas won a close one over Creighton 74-73 on Tuesday. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera led all scorers on the team with 19 points on 5-for-12 shooting. The Friars are coming off a 75-68 loss against Xavier on Tuesday. Kris Dunn played well for Providence, recording 16 points, eight rebounds, and seven steals.
The Georgetown defense should have a clear edge in terms of eFG%. It ranks 18th in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 44.3%), while the Providence offense is 265th with a mark of 48.0%.
Georgetown is a three-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 137 points. The Hoyas come into this game 13-8 Straight Up (SU) and 11-8 Against The Spread (ATS). The Hoyas are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .759 from the free throw line. The Hoyas have really locked down opponents on the defensive end, ranking 20th in the country with a .388 opponent field-goal percentage. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Hoyas, ranking 46th in the country in blocks per game with 5.0.
As for their opponent, the Friars have 17-4 SU and 12-8 ATS records. The Friars rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 37th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.38. The Friars are in for a physical game against Georgetown. The Hoyas are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 22.1 fouls per game.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these conference foes played, Providence won, but Georgetown still leads the head-to-head record, 7-3 SU, over their most recent matchups. However, with a 6-4 record, Providence has the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Georgetown held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. Providence never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Prov, ATS Winner – Prov, O/U – Over
Notes
Georgetown is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games.
Georgetown is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at home.
Georgetown is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing Providence.
Georgetown is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Providence.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Georgetown’s last 6 games when playing at home against Providence.
The Providence Friars have a defensive rating of 96.4 (ranked 52nd), while the Georgetown Hoyas have an offensive rating of 107.3 (ranked 135th).
Georgetown has an average field goal percentage of 44.1%. Providence is a solid 8-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Georgetown Hoyas rank lower for their field goal percentage (177th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (108th), but the Providence Friars have a better FG% ranking (242nd) than eFG% ranking (265th).
Providence ranks 58th in assists, recording 15.7 per game. Georgetown performs worse at 102nd with 14.8 assists per game.
Georgetown, the 46th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.0 per game. Providence does worse, ranked 121st with 3.9.
On average, Georgetown makes 5.4 steals per game. Providence has a stellar 13-3 record when it gives up at least 5 steals.
