In the Hunt: Georgetown Looking to Keep Hot Streak Going

Off to a 3-0 start in Big East play, can the Hoyas show they belong in the conversation at the top of the Big East for the long run this season?

The wins are continuing to pile up this season for Georgetown. As the schedule shifts from a soft non-conference slate heavy on home games to a difficult Big East schedule filled with tricky road matchups, it’s fair to wonder at what point it’s OK to go from thinking this undefeated start to conference play is less of a fluke for Georgetown, and more an accurate indicator that this team should be firmly considered in the mix for Big East contention.

Georgetown’s 12-2 record is its best start to a season since the 2011-12 season, which saw the Hoyas get out to a 3-0 record in Big East play as well.

Their most recent victory, at home against the Xavier Musketeers, 69-63, pushed their current win streak to five games. With students back on campus, the energy in the arena was the best it’s been in several years. Not only do the players look like they are starting to believe in what this team can be, but the greater Georgetown community is beginning to show up in bigger numbers for this team too.

As of today, Georgetown finds itself at the top of the Big East alongside undefeated Marquette and UConn, who are both 4-0, and also happen to be the Hoyas’ next two opponents.

Both games, especially the home matchup on Saturday against the Huskies, are big chances for Georgetown to prove to the greater national college basketball audience that not only are the Hoyas back in the mix, but they are ready to compete at the top of the Big East.

Georgetown is now ranked 64th in the country on KenPom.com, and has the #34 overall adjusted defensive efficiency. In the NCAA’s NET Rankings, the Hoyas are #73, which is seventh-best among Big East teams.

A win against Marquette or UConn would help propel the Blue & Gray higher in both ranking systems. As is, the Hoyas have arguably done enough to put themselves on the bubble—or close to it—for NCAA Tournament consideration.

They even got an AP Top 25 poll vote this week from Johnny Congdon, a sports reporter from a local Alabama TV station.

Another stats website, EvanMiya.com, is skeptical of the Hoyas’ start to Big East play too. Miya’s projections have Georgetown as the seventh-best team in the conference with a relative rating of 11.7.

But the numbers during Georgetown’s perfect start to Big East play indicate the Hoyas could be for real, albeit based on a small sample size. So far, in conference play, according to CBBAnalytics.com, Georgetown has the third-best net rating (15.6), the fifth-best offensive rating (105.9), and the second-best defensive rating (90.3).

The fun kicks off tonight against Marquette at Fiserv Forum. The Golden Eagles are #10 in KenPom’s ratings, and boast top-15 offensive and defensive units. They have beaten two ranked teams this season (#6 Purdue at home, #11 Wisconsin at home) and lost to Iowa State on the road, 81-70.

At the time of publishing, Georgetown was listed as a 13.5-point underdog against Marquette, so we can safely list Vegas as one of Georgetown’s remaining skeptics left to convince.

If Georgetown wants to make a run at an at-large tournament bid, they’ll need to win at least a couple of games against the trio of Marquette, UConn, and St. John’s. Outside of that group, the Big East may not have another tournament-caliber team this season, so beating the top three teams will be the Hoyas’ best shot at building a tournament-worthy resume

Georgetown’s Strength of Schedule net rating, according to KenPom, is -5.42—good for 345th in the country. In the grand scheme of things, it’s good that we can sit here and talk about how a really soft schedule is holding back Georgetown from an at-large bid. That they are even in position to let us think about an NCAA Tournament appearance is a win.

The work starts tonight. And continues on Saturday at Capital One Arena. If this season is any indication so far, we might be in for a surprise or two this week.