Georgetown, Louisville square off in Big East clash |
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Georgetown @ Louisville basketball previewSaturday, February 9, 2008 9 P.M.
The sixth-ranked Georgetown Hoyas will attempt to extend their win streak to seven games on Saturday night when they venture into Freedom Hall to face off against Louisville, who Georgetown has defeated five straight times. Georgetown is 6-2 this year on the road, 4-1 on the road in the Big East. Their lone road loss in the Big East came at the hands of Pittsburgh on Jan.14 th, 69-60. The Hoyas were victorious last year over Louisville 73-65. Earlier this week, Georgetown struggles against South Florida, the worst team in the Big East at 1-9. The Hoyas (19-2, 9-1) shot a season-worst 39.3 percent and had to rally from a 10-point deficit for the come-from-behind victory 63-53. Sophomore forward DaJuan Summers helped rescue the Hoyas from potential disaster with a career-best 24 points. Summers is second on the team with 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Summers is still in the process of recovering from a sprained ankle that forced Summers to miss the 32-point blowout win against St. John’s on Jan.30 th. Last year, center Roy Hibbert dominated for the Hoyas and outplayed Cardinals center David Padgett. Hibbert turned in an impressive performance with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Padgett struggled on 1-of-6 shooting, finishing with eight points. Hibbert leads the Georgetown in points and rebounds per game with 13.1 and 7.0 respectively.
Louisville has finally gotten all their ‘cardinals’, in a row. They’re healthy and they’re just starting to hit their stride, winners of eight of their last 10 games. Louisville is tied for third place with UConn at 7-3 in the Big East and the Cardinals are 17-6 overall. The Cardinals will be aiming for their third win over ranked opponents this season. Their previous two wins over ranked teams both can at the hands of Marquette. Louisville handed No.16 Marquette a 71-57 loss this past Monday, and also defeated Marquette, who was No.13 then, 71-51 at Freedom Hall on Jan.17 th. Louisville has protected home court, going 9-2 at Freedom Hall this season. The return of David Padgett has energized Louisville, largely on defense. The Cardinals are second in the Big East, allowing 60.0 points per game. Ironically, they stand behind Georgetown. The Hoyas are holding their opponents to a paltry 56.7 points per game. In their 17 wins this season, Louisville allowed more than 70 points just twice. In their last two wins, they’ve held Rutgers and Marquette under 60 points (Rutgers 50, Marquette 57) and under 33 percent shooting from the field. Jerry Smith leads five Louisville players in double figures in scoring with 11.3 points per game. Terrence Williams is second on the team with 11.2 ppg, and the trio of Derrick Caracter, David Padgett, and Earl Clark are all averaging at least 10.2 points per game. While the Hoyas have been as good as advertised, the Cardinals have struggled with chemistry issues, injuries and maturity. Now the Cardinals are finally healthy and gelling at the opportune time. If Louisville pulls off the upset, they’ll sit just one game behind Georgetown, and a win of that magnitude could propel the Cardinals back into the Top 25 picture. Louisville, however, will be battling against many, many years of history. The last time Louisville defeated Georgetown was 55 years ago on March 7, 1953.
by Frank Minniti
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