Seton Hall @ Georgetown preview

Seton Hall at Georgetown

Last Meeting ( Dec 23, 2020 ) Georgetown 67, Seton Hall 78

Surging Seton Hall will try to keep adding to its NCAA Tournament resume Saturday when it visits Big East rival Georgetown at McDonough Arena.

The Pirates (13-8, 10-5 Big East) extended their winning streak to four games with Wednesday's 60-52 victory against DePaul. The triumph also guaranteed the Hall finishing the regular season above .500 in the conference.

"Winning is obviously the most important thing, especially this time of year," head coach Kevin Willard said, per NJ.com. "(But) we have to be a little bit more efficient on the offensive end."

Sandro Mamukelashvili (18.0 ppg., 7.4 rpg.), a 6-foot-11 senior, scored 25 points, including his 1,000th career point, in the victory against the Blue Demons.

Junior swingman Jared Rhoden (14.9 ppg., 6.5 reb) is the Pirates' second-leading scorer. Seniors Myles Cale (12.5 ppg.), a swingman, and guard Shavar Reynolds (7.4 ppg., 4.3 apg.) help form the team's core.

Seton Hall defeated Georgetown 78-67 at home on Dec. 23. That was before COVID-19 wreaked havoc with the schedule -- the Pirates had one game postponed and the Hoyas five since then.

"They're led by three seniors, three upperclassmen, they're the ones who carry the load," Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing said of the Pirates on Friday. "The big fella in the middle (7-2 Ike Obiagu), he had nine blocks against us, has been anchoring their defense in the middle.

The Hoyas (6-10, 4-7) are coming off a 78-63 win against Butler last Saturday.

Senior guard Jahvon Blair (17.0 ppg., 4.4 apg.) leads the Hoyas' attack, which also includes 6-9 senior Jamorko Pickett (12.3 ppg., 8.5 rpg.) and 6-11 sophomore Qudus Wahab (11.8 ppg., 7.9 rpg.) playing significant roles.

Ewing conducted his media call with, on his shoulder, a towel showing former Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr., who died Aug. 30. Some coaches have worn a similar towel this week in tribute to Thompson, who coached with a towel draped over his shoulder.

"This is a person that has been a significant part of my life and my career," Ewing said. "It means a lot to see a lot of these other coaches supporting him and paying homage to the things that he has done."

--Field Level Media