North Carolina State University Athletics
Scouting the Opponent - Georgetown
3/17/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2012
Columbus, Ohio -
Georgetown is in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time over the last six years, only missing the 2008 tournament. The Hoyas are the third seed in the Midwest Region, after finishing the regular season 23-8 and 12-6 in the Big East, tying for fourth in the conference.
"I have great respect for Georgetown," said NC State head coach Mark Gottfried. "We watched them on tape (last night). They're an excellent basketball team, so this is a great challenge for our guys.
"From where we were at the beginning of the year to where we are right now, we've improved a lot. We've gotten better, and I think our guys are really excited about playing."
The Hoyas are a young team, as among their 13 players, 10 are either freshmen or sophomores. The six freshmen have averaged 26.1 points and 12.4 rebounds of the last seven games, and have accounted for 34.3 percent of the team's total minutes this season and 29.5 of the team's scoring.
Leading scorer Jason Clark averages 14.1 points per game, while Hollis Thompson is second with 12.5 points and leads the Big East in three-point field goal percentage at 43.3 percent (55-127).
"We know that they like to stay in the 50s with the game," said C.J. Leslie. "We are kind of an up-tempo team, so our main thing is just to get our flow going and just get a fast-paced game."
Among common opponents this season, both Georgetown and NC State fell to Syracuse. The Pack fell to then-No. 1 Syracuse at home, 88-72, in mid-December, while Georgetown fell in overtime at Syracuse, 64-61, in early February.
Georgetown advanced past Belmont Friday afternoon, 74-59. The Hoyas shot 61.2 percent (30-49) from the field for the game, including a 69.6 (16-23) clip in the second half.
Clark led the way with a game high 21 points, while forward Otto Porter finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds.
The Hoyas took the ball into the post against Belmont, outscoring the Bruins 44-20 in points in the paint. Georgetown came out in a 'big' lineup, started one guard (6'2") to go along with three forwards (all 6'8"), and a center (6'10").
The Pack has won the points in the paint battle the last eight games, and in 14 of the 19 games against ACC foes this season. NC State outscored the Aztecs in the paint, 38-18, as Richard Howell (22), C.J. Leslie (15), and DeShawn Painter (9) combined for 46 of the Pack's 79 points.
Georgetown also got it done on the defensive end against Belmont, a team averaging 81.5 points scored just 59 in the loss. The Hoyas rank second in the Big East and, No. 16 nationally, in scoring defense on the season (59.2).
"We went in expecting to play both man and zone (defenses)," said Georgetown head coach John Thompson after the win. "Once we got settled into our zone, I thought it was very effective. So we stayed with it, probably a lot longer than I had planned, probably longer than the game plan."
In five of last seven games, NC State has shot 50.0 percent or better. In those seven games, the Pack is shooting 49.9 percent (194-389) from the field. The Pack shot well in the win over San Diego State, hitting 58.5 percent (31-53).
"I think their length is impressive," said Gottfried. "They move their feet will, they close down dribble penetration well. They're such a great man-to-man defensive team and recently they've been really good in zones as well. So I think they've added a second weapon defensively with the way they're zoning people."
NC State will be looking for a bit of revenge against the Hoyas, as Georgetown downed the Pack last season in the Charleston Classic.
"I know the one thing I can remember, it was very frustrating playing them because they're the type of team that doesn't want to score 80 to 90 points," said Richard Howell. "They don't want to get up and down the floor. They just want to play a very slow paced game."
The winner of Sunday's game will advance to the Sweet 16. It would mark the Pack's first trip since 2005, and it would be Georgetown's first time since 2007.
"To bring a program where it hasn't been in a while is very exciting to all the fans," said Leslie. "I would say we have some die-hard NC State fans. I know they're excited, very, very excited. And I'm just happy that we can do that for them."
