BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Georgetown @ Notre Dame

January 24, 2006


Georgetown, fresh off their huge upset of Duke at the MCI Center on Saturday will have to come back to earth a bit and be ready to head out to South Bend to face the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, who dropped another close game, losing 67-65 to Marquette on the road on Friday night.

Here are some of the pre-game articles from around the net we have found:

Hot Hoyas Provide Tough Test for Irish (Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette).
Small Roles for Big Men? (South Bend Tribune)
After Big Win, Hoyas Seek Another (Washington Post)
Ranked Hoyas Face Test With Irish.

For our preview and prediction on the game, click below!

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Georgetown enters tonights game a 2-pt underdogs on the road, playing as a ranked team as they find themselves #21 in the AP poll. The Hoyas are 3-2 in the Big East and face a reeling Irish team that finds themselves just 1-4 in the Big East, losing games by 3 (in 2 OT), 6, 5 and 2 pts. If there ever was a team in need of a break to go their way, it is the Irish. Both teams split a pair of games last season, winning on each other's home court.

Last week, we saw Georgetown struggle mightily in their game prior to facing Duke, barely escaping with a win over South Florida, 50-47, on their home floor. Tonight, we see how they bounce back from the emotional high they have been on and all the additional national attention after knocking off the previously unbeaten Blue Devils of the rival ACC.

For Notre Dame, they have to be chomping at the bit to get a win in this spot. The added exposure on the Hoyas should be something that will play into their minds as they want to show the basketball world that they are not to be forgotton yet.

However, this looks to be a very tough match-up for Notre Dame. The Hoyas run a Princeton-style offense forcing the opposition to play defense for longer periods of time, something Notre Dame has usually shown a disinterest in. Also, a front line of Brandon Bowman, Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert is both bigger and more athletic than anything the Irish can put on the floor. Georgetown also has the ability to bring in some instant offense off the bench with Darrel Owens.

So, how can Notre Dame win this game? Well, the Irish can shoot and will have up to four players on the floor at one time (Chris Quinn, Kyle McAlarney, Colin Falls and Luke Zeller) that can hit shots from beyond the arc. They will need the three-ball working early and often tonight. The students are back at Notre Dame which should create a better home atmosphere tonight and Georgetown does have a tendency to go cold offensively at times. Notre Dame is due for a win and a good performance, I think it comes against a Georgtetown team that might be just a little flat tonight, allowing ND to get off to a good start. The Irish might be able to zone Georgetown and limit some of their advantages. It should be a game that comes down to the wire, the luck of the Irish finally prevails in this one.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Notre Dame 67 Georgetown 66