![\"NCAA](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/mk7iIqMbx_PgFUoObVXVqkTHJnQ=\/0x0:7351x4901\/1310x873\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/73836576\/usa_today_25137161.0.jpg\")
This Georgetown defense can look \u2018elite\u2019<\/p>\n
The time has come. Get on board. The \u201cHoyas are good\u201d train is leaving the station. It\u2019s been a while since we\u2019ve been here, so it\u2019s OK if you\u2019re not sure what to do with your hands.<\/p>\n A productive week saw your Georgetown Hoyas<\/a> thoroughly outclass Xavier at home and come up just short of a program-defining win at 7th-ranked Marquette. Oh, and they did both without their leading scorer, Jayden Epps. Georgetown got a big home conference win against Xavier to start 3-0 in conference play. They just looked like a better team than Xavier. But it was the close loss at Marquette that should have everyone\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n The Hoyas went into Milwaukee and absolutely punked a top-10 Marquette team in the first half. They ended up a couple of plays short of the biggest win of Cooley\u2019s tenure [and of the last 5 years frankly]. This team should be proud that they are too good to discuss moral victories in a loss. But the Marquette game was not just an encouraging loss, there are tangible results. By covering the 13.5-point spread and playing Marquette tough, Georgetown jumped from 66th to 61st in KenPom (a metric that the Selection Committee still uses). That\u2019s real. The Hoyas look<\/em> a lot like a tournament team to me. They need results to get there, especially on the back of a soft non-conference schedule. But they are in the mix. <\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot to digest from this good basketball team. Let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n Malik Mack – B+<\/strong> Malik took a lot of the offensive load in Jayden\u2019s absence. He has let the game come to him a lot this year and looks for his shot late – after the team has settled in. I thought he did that a bit against Xavier. He had a dominant five-minute stretch in the middle of the second half when he scored at least 10 in a row. Against Marquette, he came out firing and clearly understood the assignment. Malik is Georgetown\u2019s best shot-maker without Jayden (and maybe even with him in the lineup). He was asked to play that role on top of initiating the offense, dealing with Marquette\u2019s pressure and defending some tough perimeter players. He was up to the challenge for 30 out of his 35 minutes. He was great. Ultimately, a couple of his four turnovers came in crunch time. He made some mistakes. It\u2019s hard to blame him too much, given the load he was carrying. Georgetown is certainly not even in that game without his shotmaking. He hit a massive, deep three in the second half after Marquette made their run. He\u2019s a big shot-maker and looks like he\u2019s poised to take a leap offensively. He\u2019s already taken a leap defensively.<\/p>\n Simply put, he was outstanding defensively in both games. He had big blocks in each game, which resulted from moving his feet and getting the attacking player to take a desperation layup. I was in attendance for the Xavier game, and his toughness and strength defensively really stood out. <\/p>\n \n Micah Peavy – A-<\/strong> He was incredibly consistent in both games. The only knock is his shooting, but that is not his primary skill set. Offensively, he settles the team down with his ability to drive in traffic. He can go to the rim or get a nice mid-range pull-up whenever he wants, which is a nice plan C to have when the offense sputters. While he\u2019s making those at a slightly above-average clip, just the ability to generate his own shot helps this team. Particularly because they can crash the boards on a miss. Defensively, he\u2019s special. He\u2019s been called (including by Coach Cooley) one of the best defenders in the Big East. Screw that. He IS <\/em>the best defender in the Big East and may be the best in the country. It\u2019s not just his incredible one-on-one defense. It\u2019s everything that he\u2019s asked to do defensively while also being an elite on-ball defender. He does everything. Guards everyone. He\u2019s great positionally. Generates steals and blocks and, oh, by the way, elevates the entire team defensively. You could pick out a great defensive contribution on nearly every possession – and I encourage you to just watch him on that end. I think this play from the Marquette game sums it up. <\/p>\n That’s as good of defense as Kam Jones has seen all season<\/p>\n Georgetown’s Micah Peavy: One of the best defenders in the Big East pic.twitter.com\/uKxUxuHU9W<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ryan Cassidy (@ryancassidycbb) January 8, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/ECYU1Ond7IrMUH6gKlkTy20IqOU=\/400x0\/filters:no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/25824109\/train.jpg\")
\n <\/figure>\n
Xavier: <\/strong>26pts, 8-16 50% FG, 3-9 33% 3PT, 7-9 FT, 2 REB, 3 AST, 1 BLK, 4 TO, 35 MIN
Marquette: <\/strong>18pts, 7-17 41% FG, 3-7 42% 3PT, 1-2 FT, 2 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 6 TO, 38 MIN<\/p>\n
Xavier: <\/strong>15pts, 7-14 50% FG, 0-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, 10 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 4 TO, 39 MIN
Marquette: <\/strong>13pts, <\/strong>5-12 41% FG, 0-1 3PT, 3-4 FT, 6 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 40 MIN<\/p>\n\n