Hoyas face Memphis before Big East debut
Exams are over but Georgetown has left itself one more challenging test to end its difficult nonconference slate.
The Tigers (9-1) are still the most important basketball program in Memphis, but 33-year-old head coach Josh Pastner hasn’t yet earned his first win over a ranked team, having gone 0-5 since taking over for John Calipari after the 2008-09 season.
In the last month, Pastner has endured the loss of junior forward Angel Garcia, who decided to accept a professional contract in Spain, and leading scorer Wesley Witherspoon (13.0 points per game), who is expected to miss five weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery for a right knee meniscal tear on Dec. 10. Reserve forward D.J. Stephens has missed the Tigers’ last two games with a groin injury.
The Hoyas (10-1) remain second in the country in field goal percentage (.525) and tied for sixth in assists (18.5 per game), but Chris Wright (13.2 ppg, 6.7 apg, 2.0 spg) was inexplicably left off the nominee list for the Bob Cousy Award, which is given annually to the top collegiate point guard.
| No. 10 Georgetown at No. 16 Memphis |
| Where » FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tenn. |
| When » Thursday, 8 p.m. |
| TV » ESPN2 |
“Those three guards are tough and share the ball well,” Loyola head coach Jimmy Patsos said of Wright, Austin Freeman (18.5 ppg) and Jason Clark (14.2 ppg) after the Greyhounds lost to Georgetown last weekend. “I keep watching the stats, and they keep sharing the ball. I thought when [Greg] Monroe left I’d catch them, but they are probably better without him.”
The Hoyas open Big East play on Dec. 29 at No. 23 Notre Dame.
