S. Florida Meets Georgetown in 2nd Round of Big East Tourney

After a convincing win against DePaul in the first round of the Big East tournament the South Florida Bulls will now have to face the 22nd ranked Georgetown Hoyas whom they beat rather easily back in early February. Georgetown has been inconsistent at best this season, and will need to bring their “A” game if they expect to take down this red-hot Bulls squad that has won 4 straight.

South Florida’s style of play is similar to the Hoyas as they slow the pace of play on offense, and play solid lock-down defense that frustrates opponents and leads to easy transition baskets. Dominique Jones leads the Bulls offensively with a 21.3 point per game average. He a stat sheet stuffer as he also contributes over 6 rebounds and almost 4 assists per game. The two headed forward combination of Augustus Gilchrist and Jarrid Famous are equally as talented on both ends of the floor. They combine for 25 points and 14 rebound per game, all while holding opponents to just over 66 points per game.

The Big East conference is without question the toughest in the country. Although S. Florida has a 9-9 record in conference play, they can hang their hats on several big wins as they have taken down Seton Hall, Providence, Pittsburgh and Georgetown this season. They are clearly on the bubble and may need a win Wednesday to secure an NCAA tournament spot. Even though they beat the Hoyas earlier this year, they will have to be at their best to take them down in the Big East tournament.

Georgetown is a hard team to figure out. They are one of 5 ranked teams in the best conference in the country, but they only have a 10-8 record in Big East competition. While wins against Temple, Butler, UCONN, Pittsburgh, Villanova and Duke are impressive, they seem to play down the level of their opponent as they have lost games to Old Dominion and Rutgers. If they intent to get a good seeding in the “Big Dance” they will need at least 2 wins in the Big East tournament.

The focal point of the Georgetown offense is center Greg Monroe. He is having a phenomenal sophomore season as he’s averaging 16 points and almost 10 boards per game. He is a true “Big Man” that can clog up the paint and make scoring inside very difficult for the Hoyas opponents. Along with Monroe, Georgetown has a three guard attack that keeps other teams on their heels. Austin Freeman leads the team in scoring with a 17.3 point per game average, while Chris Wright and Jason Clark contribute 24 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6 assists per game combined.

The Big East tournament is always the most competitive and has the most story lines. This game is no exception. Watch as the Hoyas and Bulls battle it out for a chance to prove to selection committee that they are each deserving of an NCAA tournament invitation.

Related posts:

1. Big East Top-25′s Collide
2. Georgetown Takes on W. Virginia is Big East Showdown
3. 7/10 Seed Match-Up: Brigham Young/ Florida
4. NIT 2nd Rd Showdown: Connecticut v. Virginia Tech
5. Sunday College Hoops: Florida @ Tennessee

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