Slumping on The Road
Georgetown is suddenly slumping on the road, even though its odds of winning are not nearly as bad as when it last visited Providence.
The eighth-ranked Hoyas look to avoid losing three consecutive road games for the first time in two years when they face the lowly Friars in a Big East matchup Monday.
Oddsmakers from Bodog have made Georgetown -5 point spread favorites (View College Basketball odds) for today’s game (Game Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 90% of bets for this game have been placed on Georgetown -5 (View College Basketball bet percentages).
Georgetown (20-4, 10-3) is one of only four Big East teams with a winning road record in conference play (4-3), but it is in danger of losing three straight away from home for the first time since Feb. 16-March 4, 2006. The Hoyas lost 77-70 at Syracuse on Saturday, one week after a 59-51 road loss to Louisville.
"Road wins have been difficult," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "You can’t be negligent in any area in our league this year."
Despite their road troubles, the Hoyas are tied with the Cardinals for first place in the Big East.
Georgetown wasn’t in nearly as good shape when it last traveled to Rhode Island for a matchup with the Friars (13-12, 4-9), losing 65-50 to then-No. 23 Providence on Jan. 26, 2004. The Hoyas went 13-15 that season, including 1-8 on the road in Big East play, and lost their final nine games.
Georgetown has lost four of its last five visits to Providence. This will be the first meeting between the teams since Jan. 5, 2006, when the Hoyas beat the Friars 72-62 at the Verizon Center.
Roy Hibbert had 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in that game. But the 7-foot-2 senior had just 11 points and three boards Saturday. Hibbert leads the Hoyas with 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks a contest, but his inside presence wasn’t good enough against the Orange.
The only other team to score 70 points against Georgetown was top-ranked Memphis, which won 85-71 on Dec. 22. The Hoyas lead the Big East in scoring defense at 57.5 points per game.
"We’ve got to be strong with the basketball and more aggressive on offense and defense on the road," Georgetown guard Jonathan Wallace said. "On the road, you pretty much have to make happen what you want to happen."
Wallace led the Hoyas with a career-high 26 points. He was coming off a 15-point effort in a 55-53 win over Villanova last Monday.
Wallace is one of three Georgetown players averaging double digits in scoring, posting 10.1 points per game. DaJuan Summers averages 11.2 points.
Providence, meanwhile, has five players averaging at least 10 points, but it has lost three straight and seven of eight. The Friars are tied with St. John’s for 13th place in the Big East, putting them in danger of missing the conference tournament.
A tough schedule last week didn’t help. Providence lost 82-63 at No. 22 Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, and was defeated 80-72 by No. 23 Louisville on Saturday. The Friars are 0-3 against ranked teams since beating then-No. 18 Arkansas 67-51 on Nov. 16.
Jeff Xavier leads Providence with 12.4 points per game. He shot 4-for-13 from the field versus the Cardinals, but had one of his most complete games of the season, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds and five steals.
The Hoyas lead the all-time series with the Friars 35-19.
by: Staff Writers – Email Us
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