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2008 Georgetown Basketball Picks & Predictions

Written by Luke Knight

Despite the departure of Roy Hibbert, Jonathan Wallace, and Patrick Ewing Jr. the Georgetown Hoyas are back in the top of the Big East conference. Coach John Thompson III has led the Hoyas to back-to-back Big East regular-season titles and returns four extremely talented players in DaJuan Summers, Jessie Sapp, Austin Freeman, and Chris Wright. Last season Georgetown was 28-6 overall and 15-3 in the Big East, picked up an NCAA bid, and defeated Maryland-Baltimore County before losing to Davidson 74-70. In four years at the helm, Thompson is 100-36 at Georgetown so it would be a mistake to write this team off. Keep reading our college basketball predictions to find out if we think the Hoyas will continue building on last years success and make a fourth straight NCAA tournament while winning a third straight regular-season Big East title. Check out BetUS where the Hoyas are at +800 odds to win the Big East Conference title. Take a look at our NCAA basketball odds feed to see what the line each on each one of their games this season.

Roy Hibbert gave the Hoyas a huge presence in the middle, but forced Georgetown to slow down. This season the frontcourt will be lead by junior forward DaJuan Summers who was second in the team behind Hibbert in points and rebounds with 11.1 points and 5.4 boards. Summers should blossom into an All-Big East-caliber player. Austin Freeman started 23 games as a freshman and averaged 9.1 points. He will likely start at small forward and his shooting ability will make him a huge threat, as he shot 40.0% from 3-point range. Replacing Hibbert at center will be one of a trio of newcomers. Incoming freshman Greg Monroe is one of the elite big men in the 2008 class and was one of the top 10 high school seniors in the nation. Henry Sims will also compete, but he is more of a forward than a center. Sophomore transfer Julian Vaughn from Florida State may be the most intriguing as he is a 6’10” 245-pound center who received a waiver from the NCAA to play immediately this season.

Chris Wright appears to be ready to emerge and take on a larger role with the departure of Jonathan Wallace. Wright missed 18 games last season with an ankle injury, but when he was on the court he energized the Hoyas, pushed the ball up court, and defended quicker point guards. Wright will now be expected to take over Wallace’s role as the lead guard in Thompson’s Princeton-style offense. Jessie Sapp also returns in the backcourt. Sapp improved his 3-point shooting last season and led the Hoyas with 110 assists while averaging 9.7 points per game. Returner Omar Wattad and incoming freshman Jason Clark should provide some depth in the backcourt.

Final Analysis

The Hoyas have advanced to the NCAA tournament each of the last three seasons, and had it not been for an incredible performance by Davidson’s Stephen Curry, the Hoyas would have made a third straight trip to the Sweet 16. While the Hoyas lost some top talent in Hibbert, Wallace, and Ewing along with the transfers of Jeremiah Rivers and Vernon Macklin, Georgetown shouldn’t fall too much off the pace in the Big East. Summers and Sapp along with talented youngsters like Wright, Freeman, and Monroe should make for a dynamic lineup. It may take a few games for John Thompson III to figure out exactly what this team’s identity is, but when he does expect the Hoyas to win games. We have Georgetown down toward the upper-middle of the Big East pack with our NCAA basketball picks, but that should be more than enough to get an NCAA bid. We don’t expect a third straight regular-season Big East title with other conference powerhouses, but this should be a solid team that will make some noise in March. BetUS has the Hoyas at +2000 odds to win an NCAA title so keep an eye on these guys when doing your college basketball betting.

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