Samantha Axon, Reporter
@SAxonCourant
On February 2nd, the Georgetown Hoyas will travel to Indianapolis, Indiana to face off against the Butler Bulldogs. I have dubbed this match-up, that occurs at least twice a year, the “Bulldog Bowl” as both mascots, Butler Blue III and Jack the Bulldog, happen to be bulldogs.
Both teams are currently unranked, but about a week ago Butler sat in the 18th seed. The team is currently 13-6, with notable wins against the Cincinnati Bobcats and the Purdue Boilermakers. Butler has only lost against ranked teams, with the exception of Creighton and Miami. All four games took place towards the beginning of the season.
One aspect of Butler’s team that has greatly contributed to their success this season is their offensive ability. On average, the team has scored 81.5 points per game, which is the 27th highest point-scoring average in the NCAA. The offense has been lead by guard Kellen Dunham who has scored an average 16.3 points per game with a 41.2 field goal percentage.
But at the same time, Butler does not have the strongest defensive presence. They have allowed 69.3 points each game, and are tied for 136th position in the category. Often, their impressive offensive skills have been able to make up for the points that they have allowed opponents to score each game.
The season started off much differently for the Georgetown Hoyas. The team struggled throughout the beginning of their season, which has contributed to their 12-7 record. The Hoyas started off their year by playing 2 top-5 ranked teams within their first four games, and losing both. While that may not sound very impressive or notable, the Hoyas did not lose to either team by more than four points, proving that they were still a contender in both games against Maryland and Duke.
But, the Hoyas have drastically improved with recent wins against the then-ranked number 17 Syracuse as well as number 5 Xavier. At the time, Xavier had only lost one game, as they were one of the last teams to remain undefeated. Senior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera has greatly helped the team offensively. Smith-Rivera leads the team in both points and assists per game.
While Georgetown performs well in terms of points and assists, they have struggled in their rebounds. They have an average of 35.9 assists per game, which is the 208th most in college basketball, out of 347 teams. Undoubtedly, the Hoyas have lost a considerable amount of points not being right under the basket, ready to get the ball. If Georgetown is able to make more point conversions from rebounds, they could possibly become one of the top-level teams.
Prediction: Although both teams have had their highs and lows this season, ultimately I believe that the Georgetown Hoyas will come out on top. Georgetown has not had the easiest of schedules and have often come out on top. Even in games that they lost against ranked teams, it was by a minimal amount of points, showing that the team has the ability and talent to step up to such challenges.
If you need another reason to believe that Georgetown can win the game, their mascot, Jack the Bulldog, can ride a skateboard. If that does not convince you that the Hoyas can win, then I do not know what will.
