Georgetown Plays Utah in West Region Round of 32 Action
The No. 5 seeded Utah Utes play the No. 4 seeded Georgetown Hoyas in a round of 32 game in the West Region, at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Utah must step up its game and play as if it belongs or they will be knocked out of the tournament by a talented Georgetown team. Larry Krystowiak the Utah head coach has told his team they cannot turn the ball over as they did in their first game of the tournament.
On Thursday, Utah had 17 turnovers but was able to defeat Stephen F. Austin 57-50.
Georgetown was able to defeat Eastern Washington in its first game of the tournament 84-74. The Hoyas covered as 8.5-point favorites. The Hoyas are trying to prove to the college basketball world that the struggles they have had are no longer part of them.
Georgetown has not made it past the round of 32 since 2007, when it reached the Final Four. In 2014, the Hoyas could manage only an NIT invitation. In 2013, Georgetown was upset in the first round by Florida Gulf Coast. Georgetown had been a No. 2 seed and FGC a No. 15 seed.
The current line has Utah as the lower seed, favored by 4.5 points with the point total sitting on 124.
This season Utah is 25-8 straight up and 20-11 ATS. It their past 10 games the Utes are 6-4 SU and 4-6 ATS. Georgetown on the season is 22-10 SU and 12-16 ATS. In its past 10 games, Georgetown is 7-3 SU and 4-6 ATS.
Brandon Taylor and Delon Wright the backcourt duo for Utah must come up big in this game. Wright leads the team in scoring and assists but he and Taylor combined to hit 3 of 12 field goals and turned the ball over 10 times.
Utah’s biggest advantage is its defense. The Utes are No. 11 in the nation in points allowed with 56.6 points a game average.
Georgetown enters this game after ending a losing streak of five games in the NCAA Tournament against teams that are double-digit seeds.
The Georgetown Hoyas are also led by their backcourt. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera a junior guard leads the team in scoring and assists this season. In the Hoyas first round game, he scored 25 points of which 19 came in the second half.
Utah is No. 13 in the country in field goal percentage with 48.5% and is No. 9 in defensive field goal percentage at 38%.
Wright was named to the Pac-12 first team and Smith-Rivera to the Big East first team this season.
Pick: Georgetown 64-61
