No. 9 UConn (12-4 SU, 8-8 ATS) travels to Washington D.C. to take on Georgetown (12-3 SU, 9-6 ATS) on Saturday afternoon at 2pmET from Capital One Arena. The Hoyas are 3-1 in the Big East and UConn is 4-1 in the league. Who will win this UConn vs. Georgetown prediction?
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Huskies suffer rare loss
UConn is coming off a rare loss after winning eight straight games. The Huskies had not lost a game since their difficult run in Hawaii, when they lost all three in late November in the Maui Invitational to Memphis, Colorado and Dayton when coach Dan Hurley lost his composure on the sidelines several times. They got their bearings back after that tournament, before they fell at Villanova on Jan. 8. It was a tough night for star forward Alex Karaban, who went 4-fo-10 from the field and missed two free throws with three seconds left in the game and the Huskies down one. UConn would wind up losing 68-66 and went to the free throw line just four times. They also had 13 turnovers and lost despite shooting 54% from the field and 37% (10-27) from the three-point line.
Karaban (6-8, 225) leads the Huskies with 15.9 points per game, adding 5.0 rebounds while shooting 47.7% from the field, 41.5% from beyond the arc and 77.8% from the line. Sophomore guard Solo Ball adds 13.6 points per game while shooting 46.2% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc. Star freshman Lian McNeeley (ankle) is out and will miss a couple of weeks. He was averaging 13.6 points per game and was shooting 37.9% from long range.
According to KenPom, UConn is ranked 25th overall and is second in the Adjusted Offensive Efficiency. But they are just 124th in Adjusted Defense. They allow 68.6 points per game on 42.2% shooting and 37.9% (352nd) three-point shooting. On offense, they average 83.9 points per game, shooting 49.9% from the field (13th) and 37.2% from long range.
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Cooley has turned Georgetown around
The Hoyas came into their game against Marquette on Jan. 7 having won five straight games, including three in the Big East. Former Providence coach Ed Cooley took over last season and has turned the program around. They still have work to do (61 on KenPom), but even in their 74-66 loss on Tuesday at Marquette, they showed potential as they led by nine at the half, but struggled in the second half (45-28). Malik Mack led Georgetown with 18 points and five assists, but also had six turnovers. The Hoyas committed 18 turnovers against a tough pressing team in the Golden Eagles.
The key to the team's success is the performance of freshman center Thomas Sorber (6-10, 255), who averages 15.1 points and 8.4 rebounds on 55.2% shooting (4-24 3pt). Junior guard Jayden Epps adds 14.7 points and shoots 45.9% from the field and 39% from long range.
Overall, Georgetown (30th ADj defense KenPom) has a very strong defense. They rank 17th in points allowed per game (63) and 13th in field goal percentage defense (37.9%). In terms of rebounding, Georgetown ranks 43rd in total rebounding percentage and will be pushed by UConn (30th). On offense, the Hoyas shoot 47.4% from the field, but just 31.9% from long range.
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Best Bets for Connecticut (UCONN) vs. Georgetown
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
I like Georgetown to win this game outright even though UConn is coming off that tough road loss. They had only covered just one time in their last five games so their opponents were playing them tough. They are also the two-time defending champ so they will get each opponent's best shot. Georgetown is 10-1 at home and their biggest home game of the season. They are finally starting to get their old home court advantage back and will be up to the challenge in this game thanks to their defense.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Picking Georgetown means that they are going to play tough defense and will a methodical game. They are ranked fairly high in tempo, but UConn is ranked just 314th in Adjusted Tempo according to KenPom. They want to be methodical and efficient. The Hoyas have gone under in eight straight and nine of their last 10 games. Georgetown has also scored less than 70 points in four of their last seven games.
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For another opinion on this game, check out Connecticut (UCONN) vs. Georgetown Prediction from Statsalt, our partner site.
