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Georgetown vs. St. John’s: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

By Tristan Freeman

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 05: Georgetown University athletic director Lee Reed introduces NBA Hall of Famer and former Georgetown Hoyas player Patrick Ewing as the Georgetown Hoyas' new head basketball coach at John Thompson Jr. Athletic Center on April 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 05: Georgetown University athletic director Lee Reed introduces NBA Hall of Famer and former Georgetown Hoyas player Patrick Ewing as the Georgetown Hoyas' new head basketball coach at John Thompson Jr. Athletic Center on April 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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St. John’s suffered an awful loss at the hands of DePaul last week. Can they get it together to knock off Georgetown? This is a big game for both teams.

TV schedule: Tuesday, Jan. 9, 6:30 p.m. ET. FS1

Arena: Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.

The loss of Marcus LoVett has effectively crushed the postseason hopes for St. John’s 10-6 (0-4) this season. The shooting guard’s knee hasn’t been getting better, and his timetable for return is unknown at this point.

It’s caused two issues with the Red Storm. One, all the scoring offense falls to Shamorie Ponds, who’s been inconsistent when it comes to shooting percentages. Case in point being the last game against DePaul, with Ponds scoring 16 points on an inefficient 7/24 from the field. Bashir Ahmed was the lead scorer with 21 points to go with seven rebounds.

But the issue in the 17-point loss was the defense, with the Red Storm giving up 91 points, including 49 in the second half. The loss sent Chris Mullin‘s team to last place in the Big East, the only one without a conference win.

The team they face next, Georgetown 11-4 (1-3) isn’t much better themselves, but at least they beat the Blue Demons. While the conference record isn’t impressive, the Hoyas have competed better than many expected.

The team is led by their frontcourt, with Jesse Govan heading the team in both scoring (18.1 ppg) and rebounding (11.7 rpg). His numbers were originally inflated due to the level of competition in the non-conference but he has averaged 15.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg in his first four Big East games. He has no shot at the Player of the Year award with his team’s standing but has made a case for second best conference big to Angel Delgado.

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Georgetown and DePaul are the two easiest teams to get a win, and St. John’s has already lost to the Blue Demons, making this a must-win scenario. The Hoyas starting out 2-3 in the league would be a good start for first-year head coach Patrick Ewing, and I think they can do it, with a huge game from Govan.

Prediction: Georgetown 90 – St. John’s 82