Big East Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season

2020-2021 Record: 13-13 (7-9)

Probable Starters: Dante Harris, Donald Carey, Aminu Mohammed, Tre King, Timothy Ighoefe

Bench: Kaiden Rice, Ryan Mutombo, Jordan Riley, Tyler Beard, Jalin Billingsley, Kobe Clark, Collin Holloway, Malcom Wilson, Chuma Azinge, Jaden Robinson

Maybe I am nostalgic and just want the Hoyas to be good again. I want to put Georgetown even higher, but I’m going to hedge and put them at 7. Vegas doesn’t agree, last I saw, Georgetown was predicted to finish only ahead of DePaul. Most other preseason polls I’ve seen had that too.

Even as I write about their roster, I can’t help but second guess myself, but something is telling me Georgetown is going to surprise people and may finish higher than even I am giving them credit for. So why do I think Georgetown might surprise some people and live life on the bubble this season: Dante Harris.

Georgetown finished 8th in the conference last year but finished the season strong. The Hoyas return just 35% of their minutes from last season. Ewing lost some key pieces to graduation in Jahvon Blair (15.4 PPG), Jamorko Pickett (12.2 PPG), and Chudier Bile (10.2 PPG). They also lost big man Qudus Wahab (12.7 PPG) to Maryland and the transfer portal.

However, the Hoyas went on a great run to end the season, win the Big East tournament, and secure the auto-bid to the NCAA tournament. The team matured a lot throughout the season, but I think it is safe to say that their mid to late season transition was sparked by the maturity of their young point guard, Dante Harris. He was poised and in control. A problem under Ewing has been roster continuity, but a good point guard can overcome a lot of problems.

The Hoyas bring in a strong recruiting class (ranked 16th per 247, 3rd in the Big East), headlined by 5-star shooting guard Aminu Mohammed. I think Ryan Mutombo and Jordan Riley are also going to play a big role for the Hoyas later in the season.

The team just needs to be able to hang around until the freshmen get some experience under their belt. Luckily, Ewing also brought in Tre King and Kaiden Rice who can help Dante Harris and Donald Carey hold down the fort to start the season. King averaged just shy of 15 PPG for Eastern Kentucky last season but won’t necessarily stretch the floor with his shooting.

Kaiden Rice is a big guard/wing who comes from Citadel, averaging 17.6 PPG last year and is shooting around 35% from deep on his career. If they can contribute early and often, the Hoyas will have a chance this season.

I’m not too confident with this starting lineup prediction and I’m curious to see how Ewing will handle this roster. On the one hand, I don’t see how Patrick Ewing doesn’t start a true center in Timothy Ighoefe, and perhaps Mutombo by the end of the year. However, I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that Georgetown can put out much stronger lineups that don’t include Ighoefe.

I imagine Ewing will start the season of with Ighoefe in the lineup but if he hasn’t shown some serious progression this offseason, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kaiden Rice crack the starting lineup, shifting King to a F/C role if Mutombo isn’t ready to be thrust into a starting role.

If this Georgetown team can gel quickly, I think they have potential to sneak into the NCAA tournament and surprise some people. The Hoyas have a shot to make a statement this season, will they be able to?