Feb. 17, 2012

Game Notes

WASHINGTON - The No. 10-ranked Georgetown University men's basketball team hits the road today for a matchup on Saturday, Feb. 18 at BIG EAST rival Providence. Tipoff at the Dunkin' Donuts Center is slated for 7 p.m.

The game will be shown live on MASN, with Don Orsillo and Ron Perry calling all of the action. Locally, fans can tune in to Rich Chvotkin's radio broadcast on ESPN 980 AM.

The Hoyas, ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 9 in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches' poll, enter the game with a 19-5 overall record and a 9-4 mark in the BIG EAST following a 71-61 win over St. John's at home last Sunday. Georgetown, ranked No. 13 in the country in the latest RPI ratings from warrennolan.com and No. 15 according to strength of schedule, have won three of its last four games and six of the last eight overall.

Saturday's meeting with Providence will be the 61st meeting all-time between the schools. The Hoyas lead the head-to-head series, 41-19, and have won the last six games, including a 49-40 decision on Dec. 31 at Verizon Center. Georgetown is 12-13 in games played at Providence. The Hoyas have won the last two road games, including a 79-70 win during the 2009-10 season.

Georgetown is one of only eight teams nationally with at least four wins over top-25 teams, beating then No. 8 Memphis in the Maui Invitational, winning at then-No. 12 Alabama, beating then-No. 4 Louisville on the road and posting a win over 20th-ranked Marquette last month. The Hoyas are ranked No. 13 in the latest RPI ratings from warrennolan.com and No. 9 according to strength of schedule.

Senior guard Jason Clark (Arlington, Va./Bishop O'Connell) leads the team in scoring with 14.9 points per game and is shooting 49.4 percent from the floor, ranking 15th and 13th in the BIG EAST, respectively, in those categories. Clark, who has scored in double figures 19 times this season, is averaging 14.2 points and shooting 51.5 percent from the floor against conference opponents.

Junior forward Hollis Thompson (Los Angeles, Calif./Loyola) is second on the team in scoring with 13.4 points, third with 5.3 rebounds and leads the team in field goal percentage (50.2%). Thompson, who has reached double figures in scoring 20 times this season, has connected on a team-high 47 three-point field goals and leads the BIG EAST in three-point percentage (47.5%).

Senior center Henry Sims (Baltimore, Md./Mount St. Joseph), who entered the season with three games in double figures in scoring in 88 career games, has reached double figures 15 times this season. Overall this season, he is third on the team in scoring (11.5 ppg), second in rebounding (5.5 rpg) and leads the team in assists (3.54 apg). Sims is the only player in the BIG EAST in the top-15 in assists and blocks.

Freshman forward Otto Porter (Sikeston, Mo./Scott County Central) is fourth on the team in scoring with 8.8 points per game and leads the team with 7.0 rebounds, which ranks 12th in the BIG EAST. Among all BIG EAST freshmen, Porter is 12th in scoring and fifth in rebounding. In league games, he averages 9.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. Against Syracuse, Porter recorded his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Markel Starks (Accokeek, Md./Georgetown Prep) is fifth on the team in scoring with 8.1 points per game and is shooting 47.9 percent from the floor, while classmate forward Nate Lubick (Southborough, Mass./St. Marks) is averaging 3.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and is second on the team with 2.1 assists per game.

Providence enters Saturday's game with a 13-14 overall record and a 2-12 mark in the BIG EAST. The Friars, who are 10-5 at home this season, have lost their last four games. Vince Council leads the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game.