Game 27: Georgetown
Feb. 19, 2009 7:56 p.m.
Ask Wesley Matthews about the Marquette Golden Eagles' last appearance at the Verizon Center, and he just cringes.
Little wonder. MU saw an eight-game winning streak snapped on that day, Feb. 10, 2007, when the No. 23 Georgetown Hoyas ran the Golden Eagles into the ground over the final 10 or so minutes in what turned out to be a 76-58 loss.
"That was a bad day," recounted Matthews. "I got really sick, Dominic got sick, Dan (Fitzgerald) might have been sick. We played really, really, really bad, but we still had a chance to win and they pulled it out in the end. Hopefully nothing like that happens again, and we don’t take any trips to see anything at night when it’s freezing cold and we just focus on what we’re supposed to doing."
Matthews was referring to a VIP trip the team took the night before the game.
"We went to the White House and we got left out there," he said. "It was cool; the experience was great. But the White House isn’t something you play around with. It’s, ‘Thanks for coming, now go.’ So we’re outside in the freezing cold in dress clothes, and I think that’s what got us all sick."
While there aren't any sightseeing trips scheduled for 10th-ranked MU (22-4, 11-2 Big East) this time around, and the Golden Eagles appear to be healthy heading into their second game in three weeks with the Hoyas (14-10, 5-8) coach Buzz Williams might not be as lucky.
He said Thursday that he's been dealing with an illness of his own of late.
"I got food poisoning, so that’s floored me over the last 18 hours," he said. "But I’m going to hang in there. I went recruiting yesterday and I don’t know what it was, but it didn’t work. Then I’m in bed trying to scout Georgetown and I see all those players that they’ve got, that adds to the food-poisoning issues."
MU used 51.9% shooting and a 30-for-38 effort from the free-throw line to notch a 94-82 victory over Georgetown on Jan. 31 at the Bradley Center. Jerel McNeal had 26 points and 11 assists, and Matthews and Lazar Hayward each had 23 points.
The Hoyas actually played well that afternoon, shooting a scorching 56.1% from the floor, but never were able to overcome the free-throw disparity; they went just 8 of 13 at the charity stripe.
Matchup nightmare DaJuan Summers, just a few days removed from a foot injury, scored 22 points to lead Georgetown, which also got 19 points from guard Chris Wright.
"Their style of play is so distinct. You almost have to break some of the things that you do every day with regard to your habits because that’s what they execute," said Williams. "I thought we did OK. I think we gave them two back doors when we played them here. But some of the things they do once they go back door we got beat on, and those are the things that we’ll have to focus on.
"Today and tomorrow will be really important in regards to getting our guys back in tune with how they play. They remember it, but when you physically start doing it, it changes your thought patterns. It’ll be really important in our preparation because we’ve got to be better in order to have a chance to win at their place."
One player MU held in check for the most part the first time around was freshman center Greg Monroe, who finished with 13 points, four rebounds and five turnovers in 31 minutes.
You've got to think the Golden Eagles would be ecstatic to limit the 6-11 talent to that this time around as well, as the Hoyas continue in their quest to get themselves off the NCAA tournament bubble and into legitimate consideration for a berth.
"I think he's the best freshman post player in the country, and his skill set is perfect in regards to their style of play because he can pass, dribble and shoot," Williams said. "And in a lot of ways, when he catches the ball at the top of the key and they’ve got their four guards along the perimeter…and now he’s coming off the ball screen and rolling to the basket, his skill set is so good that he has the ability to do a lot of different things.
"We had our hands full when we played them here and it’ll be the same there."
Georgetown has gone 2-2 since facing MU; it's beaten Rutgers and South Florida while losing back-to-back overtime affairs to Cincinnati and at Syracuse.
You can find the rest of
the Hoyas' stats here. McNeal, meanwhile, finds himself on the cusp of another MU record.
With five more field goals, he'll pass Bo Ellis for most field goals all-time with 675.
It would be his third all-time mark, one short of Steve Novak, who holds the records for three-pointers made and attempted, three-point accuracy and free-throw percentage.
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