Georgetown will play USF in second round
Georgetown’s road to Big East redemption after last year’s disappointment begins with a rematch against South Florida, which was responsible for one of the Hoyas’ two glaring regular-season hiccup losses (the other being Rutgers).
Backcourt
The return of leading scorer Austin Freeman (17.3 ppg) after his diagnosis with diabetes couldn’t have been sweeter for Georgetown last weekend. A second strong outing will strengthen the Hoyas’ belief that he will be relatively unaffected on the court during the postseason. But stopping South Florida gunner Dominique Jones (21.3 ppg), who had 29 points in the Bulls’ win at Verizon Center on Feb. 3, will be more important than offensive production.
Frontcourt
The Bulls scored 50 of their 58 points in their first-round win over DePaul in the paint, but that doesn’t exactly make them a powerhouse on the glass, given the prowess of Jones and Chris Howard (10.6 ppg, 3.8 apg). Still, Clinton native Gus Gilchrist (14.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) will be anxious to perform against his hometown team after missing the last game with an ankle injury.
X-factor
With Freeman on the court, Chris Wright (14.2 ppg, 4 apg) should be free to orchestrate the Hoyas offense without trying to force the action. He’s handed out nearly three assists for every turnover the last three games.
Outlook
The Bulls (20-11) are coming off their first-ever Big East Tournament victory and would like nothing better than to beat the Hoyas (20-9) and creep back onto the NCAA bubble. But the Hoyas are planning for a longer stay in the Big Apple.
