Odds Favor Hoyas
Washington, D.C. – With the Big East schedule approaching, Georgetown desperately needs to sharpen up. Following Chris Wright’s example would be a good start.
With one last chance to tune up for league play, the 12th-ranked Hoyas look to bounce back from their worst shooting game of the season as they face Florida International on Tuesday night.
Oddsmakers from Online Sportsbook Sportsbook.com have made the Georgetown –29.5 point spread favorites for Tuesday’s game against the Florida International. Current College Basketball Public Betting Information shows that 81% of more than 402 bets for this game have been placed on the Georgetown –29.5.
Georgetown (8-1) extended its winning streak at the Verizon Center to 27 games with a 69-59 win over Mount St. Mary’s 69-58 on Saturday. The Hoyas, though, shot a season-low 38.0 percent (19-for-50) from the field in their first game since beating then-No. 17 Memphis in overtime on Dec. 13.
It was the fifth time in 112 games that Georgetown was held below 40 percent.
The Hoyas’ only loss came against then-No. 12 Tennessee on Nov. 28, but they need a good showing against the Golden Panthers (4-8) to build some confidence before playing in a Big East Conference that currently has seven Top 25 teams. Georgetown visits No. 2 Connecticut on Monday night.
DaJuan Summers, who leads the Hoyas with 14.4 points per game, had 13 against Mount St. Mary’s but was 4-for-12 from the floor. The junior forward is shooting 54.5 percent on the season.
Freshman center Greg Monroe, meanwhile, tied his season low with eight points and went 2-for-5. Monroe didn’t block a shot after entering the game averaging 2.5 per contest.
Wright was one of the few Georgetown players who looked sharp, leading the team with 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting while adding seven rebounds and four steals. He had seven points during a decisive second-half run.
The game was in doubt until Wright led an 11-1 spurt to take a 47-33 lead with 11:01 left. His off-balance 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring game the Hoyas’ their biggest lead of the game.
It was the second straight excellent effort from the 6-foot-1 sophomore guard. Against Memphis, he did an outstanding job of staying with standout Tigers freshman Tyreke Evans, who had 20 points but was 8-for-24 from the field and had five turnovers.
Wright is one of four Georgetown players averaging double digits in scoring at 13.1 points. He’s also averaging a team-high 3.7 assists.
Wright went 6-for-9 from the free-throw line against Mount St. Mary’s as the Hoyas had a season-high 38 attempts from the line. Georgetown, though, made a season-low 65.8 percent of its attempts.
The Hoyas are shooting 74.3 percent from the free-throw line, and that’s helped them average 76.0 points.
"We’ve been getting to the line this year," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "In general, we put an emphasis on getting into the paint and feeding the posts."
Florida International shot 58.3 percent (14-for-24) from the foul line in a 62-57 loss to South Alabama on Saturday night. The Golden Panthers also matched a season high with 22 turnovers.
"You can’t win when you turn the ball over and you don’t make free throws," Florida International coach Sergio Rouco said. "We just have to keep getting better, and we’re getting closer."
The Golden Panthers have lost four straight, averaging 51.0 points and shooting 34.0 percent during that span.
Nikola Gacessa leads the Golden Panthers with 10.8 points per game, but has been held under 10 in each of his last three contests.
Georgetown is 2-0 all-time against Florida International.
Did you like this article? Subscribe to our Basketball news feed for the fastest updates delivered right to you – Click here to Subscribe
Posted: 12/23/08 1:30AM ET