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It was a career night for the Hoyas' Greg Monroe, who scored 24 and grabbed 15 boards to lead Georgetown to the win.
In the postgame thread up at Casual Hoya, SB Nation’s Georgetown blog, there’s plenty of praise for Greg Monroe (and 18-point scorer Austin Freeman), but awareness that it wasn’t a perfect performance for the Hoyas.
The seemingly endless turnovers and fouls are cause for some concern but the Hoyas got the victory in the end as the Bulldogs shot a woeful 30% from the field.
Georgetown has chance to work out the kinks on Saturday in Anaheim, where they’ll face No. 17 Washington in the Wooden Classic.
New York, NY (Sports Network) – Greg Monroe and Austin Freeman were perfect inside-outside complements of one another, combining for 42 points in No. 15 Georgetown’s 72-65 victory over 22nd-ranked Butler at Madison Square Garden.
Monroe finished with career-highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds, while Freeman hit 4-of-5 from three-point range en route to an 18-point effort for the Hoyas (7-0), who won their previous three games by an average of 27 points.
Jason Clark chipped in nine points, as Georgetown’s prowess on the glass, 43-30, made up for 21 turnovers.
Gordon Hayward posted 24 points for the Bulldogs (6-3), who have split their last six games and face nationally-ranked Ohio State on Saturday. Shelvin Mack and Zach Hahn logged 12 and 11 points, respectively, in defeat.
Georgetown’s inside presence was the difference in the opening 20 minutes, as evidenced by Monroe’s 14 first-half points.
A 10-0 run midway through the stanza erased an 11-10 deficit, as Freeman’s tip-in off a Julian Vaughn miss capped the run.
Monroe’s late layup yielded a 39-31 lead at the break, and the Hoyas did some work on the perimeter in the early going of the second half. Freeman hit a pair of three-pointers around the 15-minute mark, and Hollis Thompson added another from long range a little later for a 52-35 advantage.
Butler inched closer with frequent trips to the foul line, and Hayward’s make from downtown cut the Bulldogs’ deficit to 54-47 with 8 1/2 minutes left.
Monroe’s putback off his own miss three minutes later extended the margin to 60-51, and Georgetown led comfortably until the final minute.
Mack and Hayward hit consecutive buckets with the latter making it 65-59 with 1:21 remaining. After two Freeman free throws, Hahn made a trey to make it a five-point game, through Georgetown made enough at the stripe to ice it.
The game, which was part of the Jimmy V Classic, was the first meeting between these two programs on the hardwood…Next up for the Hoyas is a game against nationally-ranked Washington in Anaheim on Saturday…Butler’s Matt Howard had nine points and six rebounds before fouling out with 3 1/2 minutes to go.
- Via Sports Network
Tuesday's college basketball schedule is highlighted by the Jimmy V Classic at New York's Madison Square Garden, the first of two consecutive nights of big college basketball action in that venerable edifice.
Game one is the marquee matchup of the night, as No. 22 Butler faces 15th-ranked Georgetown. The Bulldogs haven't quite gotten off to the start this season that they anticipated, as they lost two of their three games at the 76 Classic in Anaheim over Thanksgiving week. With a win tonight and one at home against No. 13 Ohio State on Saturday, they can firmly re-establish themselves in the national consciousness.
The last time most of the country saw the Hoyas, they were involved in a slugfest with Temple, a 46-45 Georgetown win, during the November 17 hoops marathon. Tuesday also marks the beginning of a big week for John Thompson III's squad, as -- like Butler -- they face two ranked opponents. The Hoyas travel West to take on 17th-ranked Washington Saturday in the John Wooden Classic in Anaheim.
SB Nation's Georgetown site, Casual Hoya, has an excellent preview post featuring a Q & A with two Butler bloggers and a gameday thread with up to the minute info.
Game two is a matchup between two rebuilding programs, Indiana and Pittsburgh. Expect to see a lot of defense in this one. The Panthers won their last game -- at home against New Hampshire -- by a score of 47 to 32. (It was only 15-7 at halftime, the lowest combined total in the shot clock era.) Pitt hasn't scored more than 72 in a game yet this season. Jermaine Dixon being out with a foot injury hasn't helped matters for the Panthers.
That's one place where the Hoosiers may have a bit of an advantage. The Hoosiers have managed to break 71 twice, scoring 83 against Howard and 90 against Northwestern State, meaning they are more adept at scoring points against bad teams than Pitt.
You can visit SBN's Indiana blog, Crimson Quarry, for a preview of this one.
As always, you'll be able to follow along and talk about both games on SB Nation.
FINAL: No. 15 Georgetown 72, No. 22 Butler 65
Greg Monroe scored 24 and grabbed 15 boards to lead the Hoyas to victory.
Game discussion at Casual Hoya
Indiana vs. Pittsburgh, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Live score
Game discussion at Crimson Quarry
For a look at the rest of Tuesday's TV schedule, visit Blogging the Bracket.
Crimson Quarry: Cathartic Indiana Win Provides Hope For Future
The Hoosiers handled Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden with surprising ease Tuesday night, and after the program’s worst season in memory and with so many young players on a renewed roster, it’s time for a little newfound optimism in Big Red country:
Dec 09 1:18a by Eamonn Brennan - 0 comments