American @ Georgetown preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 22, 2012 ) American U. 48, Georgetown 65

Georgetown will look to push its winning streak to six straight games when it wraps up non-conference play Saturday against visiting American. The Hoyas and the Eagles, whose schools are separated by fewer than three miles in Washington, D.C., were once longtime rivals, meeting every season between 1953 and 1986, but will play for the first time in seven years.

The Hoyas, who have been one of the nation's best teams in the month of December thanks to the duo of sophomore Mac McClung and junior Omer Yurtseven, will be big favorites to improve to 44-10 in the series. Patrick Ewing's team has won all five games this month by an average of 17.6 points, including a pair of road wins over previously unbeaten teams Oklahoma State and SMU, and an 89-79 triumph over former arch rival Syracuse. McClung and Yurtseven are each averaging 22.2 points during the win streak while the latter has added 11.2 rebounds and two blocks per game, including career-highs of 32 points and 17 boards in a 99-71 victory over Samford Dec. 21. Senior guard Sa'eed Nelson leads the Patriot League in steals (3.0) and minutes (34.8), is second in scoring (16.4) and third in assists (4.7) for the Eagles, who have alternated wins and losses over the last eight games, including a 77-74 defeat to Stony Brook on Dec. 21.

TV: Noon ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT AMERICAN (4-6): Nelson has long been one of the top players in the Patriot League, but the Pleasantville, N.J. native has recently cemented his legacy with a unique accomplishment. The 6-2 guard is the first player in conference history to total 1,600 points, 400 assists and 200 steals and has an excellent chance to become the eighth player in league history to top 2,000 career points, joining the likes of Lehigh's C.J. McCollum. Nelson is also chasing the all-time scoring record at American of 2,056 points held by Russell Bowers (1977-81) and has a good chance to get there prior to the end of the regular season if he maintains his career average of 17.6.

AT GEORGETOWN (9-3): The Hoyas have been able to get by with a six-man rotation and all five starters logging more than 30 minutes per game on a regular basis but with Big East play commencing Tuesday at Providence, it is fair to wonder how long it can last. Patrick Ewing is fortunate to have a player such as Terrell Allen, who was accustomed to eating up 30 or more minutes per game at Drexel and UCF and is adept at setting up teammates as his 381 career assists would attest. Other players such as Jagan Mosely and Jahvon Blair, who came off the bench in prior seasons at Georgetown, must continue handling the additional minutes.

TIP-INS

1. The Hoyas have an assist-turnover ratio of 1.67 during the win streak, up from .84 during the first seven games of the season.

2. American junior G Jamir Harris is fifth nationally in free throw percentage at 95.5 percent.

3. With an adjusted offensive efficiency of 123.3 points per 100 possessions in December, Georgetown is up to 15th (111.2) in that category, according to Kenpom.

PREDICTION: Georgetown 88, American 78