The Georgetown Hoyas have a rich history in the NCAA tournament, but recent seasons have seen them struggle to return to their former glory, as they’ve been bounced early, losing in the first round of three of their last four appearances.
In 2015, the Hoyas are once again a team that has experts rumbling about an upset, as they will face the Eastern Washington Eagles, who won the Big Sky Conference tournament and start the most prolific scorers in the country in Taylor Harvey. Read on for more on this buzzed about Round of 64 game, and for everything you need to fill out your bracket don’t miss our complete predictions for March Madness 2015 and our compilation of experts’ picks for the 2015 tournament.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Georgetown vs Eastern Washington Round of 64 Preview and Pick
Where: Rose Garden, Portland
When: Thursday, March 19, 9:57 PM ET
Line: Eastern Washington (+7) at Georgetown Hoyas (-7); total 146.0 – view all NCAA basketball lines
Betting on the Georgetown Hoyas
The Hoyas (21-10) had a strong season in a strong conference, there’s no denying it. The Big East sent a ridiculous seven teams to the Big Dance in 2015, and the Hoyas stand as the second-highest seeded of the bunch, a tribute to their consistency against tough competition.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]The selection committee was obviously valuing premier wins in 2015, and no ranking shows that more than Georgetown’s. The Hoyas have one of the biggest wins of any non-top-seeded team in the tournament, having beaten No. 1 Villanova handily in January, 78-58. That said, the rest of Georgetown’s resume leaves something to be desired, with losses to Xavier (three times!), St. John’s, and Providence all on the books.
If Georgetown wants to get by what is likely the toughest 13-seed in the bracket, they will need to play the physical, aggressive style they brought against Villanova. That night, Georgetown got right into the Wildcats faces, and simply out-muscled them inside. ‘Nova’s Daniel Ochefu fouled out with 4:13 still to play, and the Hoyas ran away with it.
Offensively, Georgetown are paced by D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who averaged 16.2 PPG this season and will be looking to make a statement about the calibre of play in the Big East vs. the Big Sky by keeping up with Tyler Harvey all game long.
To keep this game under control, the Hoyas will want to rough up the fiesty Eagles early before they can build any momentum. If it stays close down the stretch, Eastern Washington will start to get ideas…
Betting on the Eastern Washington Eagles
Speaking of ideas, the idea behind Eastern Washington’s popularity as a sleeper candidate in this year’s tournament comes from precisely one place: Taylor Harvey. Harvey has been ridiculous this season, averaging a nation-high 22.9 PPG while shooting 47% from the field and almost 43% from beyond the arc.
If Harvey catches fire in this game, there may be no amount of ferocity that can save the Hoyas. That said, Harvey hasn’t always saved his best ball for his biggest games. In the Big Sky tournament, Harvey scored just nine points in 39 points against Sacramento State, a team that ranks 221st in the nation in team defense. Of course, Harvey may simply have been tired, having just scored 42 the night before against Idaho.
If and when Georgetown comes out planning to shut down Harvey, it will be up to the rest of the Eagles to find make their shots count. Sacramento State game planned for Harvey, who didn’t hit first shot until the second hand, but the Eagles still scored 91 in that game, as Parker Kelly and Bogdan Bliznyuk combined to go 9-for-9 from three to light up the stretched defense.
Still, Georgetown ain’t no Sacramento State. They allowed an average of 64.6 points per game in the Big East, where everyone has more than one scorer, and they will come prepared to cover Harvey and get out on the run.
Writer’s Prediction
Georgetown may be over-seeded, but they’re still an elite major conference team. I like the Hoyas here, but if you like Harvey (and many do) to go off, create a betting account and take the Eagles on the money line. Because if Georgetown can’t contain him, the Eagles will not just cover, but win.
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