Big East Basketball: Way-too-early 2019-20 preseason Power Rankings

By Brian Foley | Apr 9, 2019

VILLANOVA, PA - FEBRUARY 27: Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats drives to the basket against Markus Howard #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first half at Finneran Pavilion on February 27, 2019 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – MARCH 09: James Akinjo #3 of the Georgetown Hoyas shoots a three point basket against Ed Morrow #30 and Sam Hauser #10 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the second half of the game at Fiserv Forum on March 09, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

6. Georgetown Hoyas

Last season: 19-14, 9-9 (three seed NIT, first round)
Key departures: C Jessie Govan (17.5 ppg), G Greg Malinowski (5.7 ppg), F Trey Mourning (6.3 ppg), G Kaleb Johnson (4.3 ppg)
Key additions: C Omer Yurtseven
Recruiting Class (4th): C Malcolm Wilson, C Timothy Igohoefe, C Qudus Wahab
2019-20 National Projection: 43rd
Joker Says: “I believe whatever doesn’t kill you, simply makes you stranger.“

Bless the souls of any Georgetown fan who made it through this past season alive.

The Hoyas were 1-6 in two-possession games in 2018-19, played five additional contests that featured at least one overtime period, gagged away massive leads against bitter rivals, recorded wins against Villanova and Marquette, were absolutely smacked by DePaul, hit miracle heaves and got miraculously-heaved upon, and still placed three players on the conference’s All-Freshman team and one on the All-Big East first team.

Georgetown has made slow and steady progress through the first two seasons of the Patrick Ewing era, culminating with a fringe bubble season and an NIT appearance in 2018-19. The next step will be the toughest, as the Hoyas look to leap from a feisty middle-of-the-pack Big East team to a solid NCAA tournament squad.

Ewing no longer has his star center Jessie Govan at his disposal, but NC State transfer Omer Yurtseven should be able to replicate most of the departing production. Yurtseven is a similarly offensive-minded big with a nice mix of post skills and floor-spacing abilities. The 7-footer averaged 13.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game for the Wolfpack two years ago.

The Hoyas’ growth rests with its youngsters, particularly James Akinjo and Mac McClung, who along with forward Josh LeBlanc, were named to the Big East All-Freshman team. Akinjo – the conference’s Freshman of the Year – was just the sixth Big East freshman since 1992-93 to average 13 points and 5 assists.

Akinjo and McClung both create moments of pure shock and awe, but like most freshman guards, they also spent much of the season bricking shots and chaotically careening through traffic. A starting backcourt that shoots under 40 percent is untenable; improved decision-making and efficiency are the keys to a more consistent campaign in 2019-20.

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