Opponent Preview: Dartmouth Big Green
It's gameday! Read up on Georgetown's season-opening opponent, the Dartmouth Big Green.
Dartmouth Big Green
Head Coach: David McLaughlin (6th year, 37-77 career record at Dartmouth)
Conference: Ivy League
Current Record: 0-1
Last Season’s Record: Season Cancelled
Projected Starting Lineup: PG Taurus Samuels, SG Brendan Barry, SF Wes Slajchert, PF Aaryn Rai, C Nate Ogbu
Big Green By the Numbers
KenPom Rank: #288
KenPom Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 91.9 (304th in the country)
KenPom Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 102.1 (251st)
KenPom Adjusted Tempo: 305th
FG%: 37.5 (280th)
3FG%: 20.7 (301st)
FT%: 69.2 (169th)
Turnovers per game: 8.0 (304th)
Total Rebounds per Game: 31.0 (271st)
Three-Point Attempts per Game: 29.0 (63rd
Players to Watch
Taurus Samuels, Guard, 6’1”
One of two returning starters from Dartmouth’s 2019-20 squad, Samuels scored all 10 of his points against Boston College in the first half of Dartmouth’s first game this season.
During the 2019-20 season, Samuels averaged 8.4 points and 2.1 assists per game. The shooting numbers were not pretty, shooting 38% from the field and just 27.7% from three. This is a matchup Dante Harris should win.
Brendan Barry, Guard, 6’2”
Dartmouth’s best player, but he didn’t play like it against BC in Dartmouth’s season opener. Barry shot 3-of-13 from the field against the Eagles, and was 2-of-11 from three. He’s similar to Don Carey in that he enjoys moving around the perimeter and shooting the three, so Carey will need to have his head on a swivel when covering him tomorrow.
Georgetown initially recruited Barry back in 2019 when Barry transferred out of Dartmouth. He wound up going to Temple, but transferred back to Dartmouth this season to take advantage of his COVID year.
Aaryn Rai, Forward, 6’6”
The other returning starter from Dartmouth’s 2019-20 team, Rai is the team’s power forward, and had 7 points and 9 rebounds against BC earlier this week. Rai shot 3-of-10 from the floor, continuing the trend of Dartmouth players who shot poorly against the Eagles on Tuesday night.
In 2019-20, Rai was the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 6.4 rebounds per game, and he was second on the team in scoring average, at 11.2 points per game.
Keys to the Game
Use Your Size
In a shock, Georgetown’s midmajor opponent does not have much size on their team. BC’s backup 7-footer, Quinten Post, dominated Dartmouth on Tuesday, scoring 14 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. This should provide a good opportunity for Timothy Ighoefe to get his feet wet as Georgetown’s starting center this year. Look for Ighoefe to assert himself defensively in this one.
Dartmouth will bring 6-foot-9 junior forward Cam Krystkowiak, son of Larry, off the bench, but they start a 6-foot-7 center in Nate Ogbu, who joins 6-foot-6 Aaryn Rai to form the Dartmouth starting frontcourt. Georgetown needs to attack the boards and assert their dominance down low in this game.
Defend the Three
Dartmouth shot really poorly against BC, but they weren’t afraid to keep shooting from long range, attempting 29 three-pointers in total. After taking a year off, you figure the team’s first real game back would be rusty, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see more shots fall for the visitors on Saturday afternoon. Brendan Barry, as mentioned earlier, will be one player to be mindful of shooting the three.
Run, Run, Run
Georgetown is the faster, bigger, and more athletic team. While they have a lot of new pieces that will need time to gel, emphasizing pulling down defensive rebounds and moving the ball quickly up the floor will help this team get out in space and play free and fast, something that should be a strength of theirs this season.
Prediction: Georgetown 75 - Dartmouth 61
While Dartmouth’s shooting numbers against BC were ugly, Georgetown can’t let this lull them into a false sense of security. The Big Green actually outscored BC in the second half, 38-31, thanks to 51.7% shooting from the field in the second half. After not playing a competitive game for 20 months, it’s not surprising to see Dartmouth come out cold in the first half like that, and then begin to figure things out in the second half. One would expect they will continue to improve in game two of their season as they get their legs underneath them.
While Georgetown has a size advantage here, this game will likely be decided in the backcourt. Dante Harris has a favorable matchup against Taurus Samuels, and should be able to show off the improvements he’s made to his game this offseason. Harris’ backcourt mate, Don Carey, will be just as important, but perhaps on the defensive end, instead of the offensive end. Carey will likely be matched up against Brendan Barry, Dartmouth’s top guard, and he’ll need to work to limit Barry’s looks from beyond the arc. If Barry can get his shot to fall, that could give Dartmouth a chance to make this game interesting.
Down low, this game will be a good warmup for Timothy Ighoefe, who will be guarded by the 6’7” Ogbu (and perhaps, the 6’9” Krystkowiak). Ighoefe needs to show he can win these matchups against smaller defenders before more is asked of him against bigger, more capable big men later on this season. Ideally, he dominates the paint on both ends of the floor and shows that he can cut down on his fouls this season.
This game likely gets off to an ugly start on Saturday, as the Hoyas get their first game action of the season. The trend so far among Big East teams this season, especially those in the back half of the league, has been playing close first halves and then getting some separation in the second half. It wouldn’t be surprising to see that happen here for Georgetown, who will have a lot of mixing and matching to do still, even after the game tips off. By the end though, the superior talent and size of Georgetown should help them get their first win of the season.