Back on Dec. 20, many UConn fans were shocked that the Huskies weren’t quite dominating a Georgetown squad that had shown recent success. They’d been projected to be dead last in the Big East by many and while today they are fulfilling that projection, the Hoyas didn’t look like the worst-performing team in the Big East. In fact, they were putting one of the few undefeated teams in the country at the time in jeopardy of losing that title just two games into conference action.
While college basketball fans know how the game eventually ended as the Huskies stayed undefeated after a double-digit win, it should still remain a warning for this team, especially as UConn heads to Georgetown’s house in Washington D.C. While UConn looks to keep gaining momentum in the second half of Big East action, they needs to come out firing on all cylinders and continue to show the strength of a roster that should dominate the Hoyas.
UConn’s previous matchup showcased a Hoya that could once again give some real trouble for the Huskies and that’s Primo Spears. Averaging 16.8 points, which is second in the Big East behind only UConn big man Adama Sanogo, Spears dropped 19 points at Gampel Pavillion and looked fearsome. While he did end with four turnovers in the loss, it shouldn’t change the fact that UConn needs to take Spears seriously on defense, even if it’s as simple as putting a stronger defender like Andre Jackson on him.
While Spears dominated in the previous matchup between these two programs, the second-leading scorer for the Hoyas, Brandon Murray, didn’t. In fact, he had eight turnovers and cost Georgetown some crucial possessions that they desperately needed. Great news for UConn, but they shouldn’t expect that to happen so easily again. They’ll need to put out that same type of energy in this matchup and not let a player like Murray potentially catch fire.
The big player that I see with a breakout performance is UConn guard Tristen Newton and if you’ve watched the past few games for UConn, you’ll understand why. After the East Carolina transfer guard had some underwhelming performances in Big East action, he’s really kicked his play into gear with a 23-point performance against Xavier and a 21-point performance in the team’s last game at DePaul. Newton was also the team’s leading scorer in UConn’s last win against Georgetown with 17 points while contributing seven assists. So, you could say the writing’s on the wall for another dominant performance as Newton keeps trending upward.
As long as the Huskies show out on defense this game, I can see this being another double-digit victory with the guard tandem of Newton and Jordan Hawkins potentially leading the way again on offense. If the guards can’t find their offensive firepower, there’s always Sanogo in the paint as the cherry on top of a scary team. Most importantly though, UConn could really use this win for momentum in its next matchup against one of the toughest foes in the Big East, the Marquette Golden Eagles.
