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Georgetown Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for Hoyas

By Brian Rauf

SYRACUSE, NY - DECEMBER 08: Head coach Patrick Ewing of the Georgetown Hoyas disputes a call with a referee during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on December 8, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - DECEMBER 08: Head coach Patrick Ewing of the Georgetown Hoyas disputes a call with a referee during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on December 8, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OH – FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Ewing of the Georgetown Hoyas is seen during the game against the Xavier Musketeers at Cintas Center on February 3, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Ewing of the Georgetown Hoyas is seen during the game against the Xavier Musketeers at Cintas Center on February 3, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Non-conference schedule

Nov. 6 – Mount St. Mary’s
Nov. 9 – Central Arkansas
Nov. 14 – Penn State
Nov. 17 – Georgia State
Nov. 21 – vs. Texas (in New York, NY)
Nov. 22 – vs. Duke/Cal (in New York, NY)
Nov. 30 – UNC-Greensboro
Dec. 4 – at Oklahoma State
Dec. 7 – at SMU
Dec. 14 – Syracuse
Dec. 17 – UMBC
Dec. 21 – Samford
Dec. 28 – American

Georgetown received a good deal of criticism for their softer non-conference scheduling each of the last two years, but this one is actually rather challenging.

The Hoyas do start and end their non-conference schedule with a pair of cupcakes, which should help them work out the kinks at the start of the season and then get ramped up for the start of Big East play. Mount St. Mary’s, Central Arkansas, UMBC, Samford, and American all shouldn’t give Georgetown any problems. The same goes for Georgia State, who will help the Hoyas get right before the Empire Classic.

That is what highlights this part of the schedule and will tell us just how good this Georgetown team is. Their opening game will be against a Texas team in a similar boat – a fringe top 25 team with plenty of returning players. A win there would at least prove the legitimacy of the Hoyas, where a real test against (likely) Duke would await. Any game against Cal should be a blowout in favor of Georgetown, yet the Blue Devils represent the only chance they have to see how they stack up against the nation’s elite.

The remaining five games are ones Georgetown will be favored in against respectable programs. Penn State, Oklahoma State, and – yes, Syracuse – are power conference schools that are not expected to make the NCAA Tournament. UNC-Greensboro nearly made the Big Dance as an at-large team last year under head coach Wes Miller.

Oklahoma State represents one of two contests that come on the road. The other will be against SMU a few days later to wrap up a short Midwestern trip, but that shouldn’t be much of a challenge – the Mustangs are expected to do worse than their 15-17 mark from a season ago.

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