Georgetown @ DePaul preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 8, 2020 ) DePaul 72, Georgetown 76

Georgetown faces some tough sledding in its attempt to qualify for the NCAA Tournament with the only likely breather coming Saturday in a Big East Conference game at DePaul. The Hoyas will face three ranked teams and another fighting for a tourney bid after taking on the Blue Demons.

Patrick Ewing got leading scorer Mac McClung back in a very limited role for Wednesday's loss to Providence, and the coach has to hope Omer Yurtseven joins him in time to meet No. 19 Marquette, Xavier, No. 15 Creighton and No. 13 Villanova. McClung scored two points in eight minutes off the bench and the rest was left to the starters, who could only muster 61 points in the setback against the Friars - who like the Hoyas are a last four out team for the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi. "We just ran out of steam," Ewing told the media. "Ran out of energy, ran out of effort. All the things we had been doing great, those guys had been logging some heavy minutes. It just took its toll." The Blue Demons were no match for Creighton and Villanova, losing by a combined 49 points, but a four-point defeat at Georgetown on Feb. 8 suggests they have a chance to halt their eight-game losing streak.

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: Fox Sports 1

ABOUT GEORGETOWN (15-11, 5-8 Big East): It will be interesting to see how Ewing handles things when McClung returns to a regular minutes as Jahvon Blair has been as good or better in his absence. The junior posted his third 20-point game in the last five contests, bringing his averages to 21.4 points and 16 shot attempts over that span. More volume has led Blair, a 6-4 guard from Ontario, Canada, to get more chances at the foul line, where he has gone 22-of-25 to raise his percentage to 86.5.

ABOUT DEPAUL (13-13, 1-12): With little to play for, coach Dave Leitao has been playing Paul Reed fewer minutes lately, which has left him with only one double-double in his last six games. The junior might get a favorable matchup with Georgetown freshman center Qudus Wahab, who has been solid but s no Yurtseven. Charlie Moore needs 30 assists to give him at least 400 points and 200 assists this season, something that has been done just once in school history by Rod Strickland, who had 521 points and 202 assists in 26 games in 1997-98.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. DePaul gave up a Wintrust Arena record 16 3-pointers in suffering its 20th consecutive loss to Villanova on Wednesday.

2. The Blue Demons and the Hoyas have split the last six meetings with all but one of those games decided by single digits.

3. Georgetown is second in the Big East in free throw shooting (77.1 percent) and third in assists per game (15.31), but ranks last in 3-point defense (35.2 percent).

PREDICTION: Georgetown 78, DePaul 74