Georgetown Hoyas vs. Villanova Wildcats Pick & Prediction JANUARY 20th 2025

Preview and Prediction

The tables have turned for Georgetown. After a strong start of 12 wins and only 2 losses, including victories in their first three Big East games, the Hoyas have now faced four consecutive defeats and are dealing with injury concerns.

Their leading scorer and rebounder, Thomas Sorber, is currently nursing a sore elbow, while their top long-range shooter, Jayden Epps, has been struggling with ankle and hamstring problems.

This is a lot for Georgetown (12-6, 3-4 Big East) to handle as they prepare for a challenging matchup against Villanova (12-7, 5-3) on Monday evening.

The Hoyas suffered a tough loss at home on Friday against lowly DePaul, with a final score of 73-68. This defeat ended the Blue Demons' 39-game losing streak in regular-season conference games.

Without Sorber and Epps on the court, Georgetown found themselves trailing by 17 points in the first half and 16 points after halftime.

"Our injuries are really starting to take a toll on us," commented Hoyas coach Ed Cooley. "But we won't make any excuses. We didn't start playing until the 30-minute mark."

Over the past four weeks, Epps has missed three games and has been limited in his playing time in three others.

Since Epps' initial injury, Georgetown has had some strong performances, such as a win over Xavier and close losses against then-No. 7 Marquette and then-No. 9 UConn.

However, the absence of Epps and Sorber, who averages 14.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game, proved to be too much for the Hoyas to overcome on Friday.

Until their return, Georgetown will heavily rely on Malik Mack (13.9 points, 4.8 assists) and Micah Peavy (13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds).

Villanova's season peaked on January 8th with a win against then-No. 9 UConn. Since then, the Wildcats have suffered losses on the road against St. John's and Xavier, before narrowly defeating Providence at home on Friday with a score of 75-73.

When asked about the difference in Friday's game, coach Kyle Neptune shook his head.

"To be honest, in the Big East, when you're playing at this level, it often comes down to just one or two plays," he explained.

As of Sunday, the Wildcats were ranked No. 9 in the nation for adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom.com. This is largely due to their top scorer in Division I, Eric Dixon (24.7 points).

Wooga Poplar (14.5 points, 6.8 rebounds) is one of five Wildcats who have made at least 24 3-pointers this season. Villanova currently leads the Big East with a 40.3 percent success rate from beyond the arc.

PREDICTION

Georgetown Hoyas

Villanova Wildcats

Georgetown Hoyas vs. Villanova Wildcats Recap JAN 16TH 2023

Caleb Daniels scored 16 points, Brandon Slater added 15 and had a key steal in the final 30 seconds to lift host Villanova past Georgetown 77-73 on Monday.

Mark Armstrong contributed 14 points, Cam Whitmore had 13 and Eric Dixon 12 for the Wildcats (9-10, 3-5 Big East), who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Whitmore's dunk with 12 seconds remaining came after Slater's steal.

Villanova continued to play without Justin Moore (Achilles) and Jordan Longino (left leg).

Primo Spears led Georgetown with 19 points, Jordan Riley added 18 and Brandon Murray had 10.

Murray's potential game-tying 3-pointer clanged off the rim with 2.4 seconds remaining.

The Hoyas (5-14, 0-8) lost their ninth in a row as well as a record 28th straight in conference play.

Dixon dropped in 1-of-2 free throws with 10:20 left in the first half and Villanova went ahead 20-13.

Bryson Mozone responded with consecutive 3-pointers as Georgetown cut the deficit to one.

Whitmore and Daniels each responded with a trey. Whitmore then followed with steal at midcourt and a thunderous one-handed dunk for a 28-19 lead.

Georgetown struggled through a 3:32 stretch without scoring and Daniels soon hit two free throws for a 30-19 Wildcats lead.

The Hoyas went on a quick 8-0 run to close within three when Akok Akok completed an alley-oop dunk with 3:51 left.

The Wildcats held a 37-33 lead at halftime.

Riley knocked down a jumper with 17:44 to go in the second half and the Hoyas battled back to tie the game at 42.

Akok hit a jumper from the wing to extend the Georgetown run to 9-0 and a two-point advantage. The Hoyas pulled ahead 50-44 when Mozone hit a trey with 13:05 left.

Villanova rallied to equalize at 63 when Armstrong drove into the lane and made a tough shot with 6:17 remining. Armstrong's layup with 4:19 left capped a 12-1 run and gave the Wildcats a 68-63 advantage.

Georgetown came back with a 6-0 spurt to go back ahead by one.

Dixon's three-point play gave Villanova a 74-71 lead with 1:01 to go.