The incredibly disappointing Connecticut Huskies travel to take on the 14th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas. The Huskies are coming off their third consecutive loss and have fallen from the Top 25. The talent on this team makes that inexcusable.

The excuse of youth is thwarted when you take a look at what the Kentucky Wildcats are accomplishing in Lexington. While UConn may not be expected to be the top team in the nation, unranked is pretty bad.

Georgetown is grinding it out, which we've come to expect from John Thompson III's teams. They were upset at Pittsburgh in their last game, but the Hoyas had won three in a row before that.

UConn needs to get back on track, and a road win at Georgetown would be huge for their confidence and the Big East standings. Check out this preview of a key Big East matchup.

 

Where: Verizon Center, Landover, MD

When: Wednesday, February 1, 7:00 EST

Watch: ESPN, ESPN2, DirectTV 209

Listen: WTIC 1080 AM—Connecticut, GU Radio: WSPZ-570—Georgetown

Betting Line: UConn minus-3 per oddshark.com

 

Key Injuries

UConn

Michael Bradley Out (ankle)

Georgetown

Tyler Adams Out (heart)

Moses Ayegba Out (knee)

 

What's At Stake?

The Hoyas desperately want to snap this three-game losing streak. They are 14-6 after starting the season at 12-1. The young team needs to grab a win for obvious reasons, but they also need it for their confidence as March approaches.

Matchups with Louisville and Syracuse loom shortly, the Huskies need a win over a quality team to get right mentally.

Georgetown sits at 16-4 overall and 6-3 in the Big East. Despite their better record and home-court advantage, they are still three-point dogs. The Hoyas need to add to the win column and gain some respect in the process. 

 

What They're Saying

Senior, Jason Clark had this to say about junior teammate Hollis Thompson who has been struggling to score over the last three games:

“He knows that teams are keying on him—we all know that,” Clark said. “He’s a great scorer so they’re definitely going to do that. But we have a lot of wrinkles in our offense that will get him easy shots that I don’t think any teams can guard.”

The Hoyas will need Thompson to knock down shots as the Huskies carry a decided advantage inside with Andre Drummond and Alex Oriakhi. Thompson could help his team if he can make some outside shots to loosen the defense.

Legendary UConn head coach Jim Calhoun knows his team has to step up the tempo to be effective. He is replacing Shabazz Napier at point guard with the recently returned Ryan Boatright. Boatright was sitting out while the specifics were worked out with a potential eligibility issue. He offered this to convey his reasoning:

"We have to push the pace," Calhoun said Tuesday as the Huskies were checking into their hotel. "We can't win at the pace we've been playing."

Boatright is ultra-athletic and he can get the Huskies into a up-and-down tempo. That style is much better suited for them because of their youth and athleticism.

 

UConn Player To Watch: Ryan Boatright

Boatright could be the key to the Huskies turn around. So much of the success that takes place in March is based on solid point guard play. Boatright's ability to accelerate, create and finish near the rim will be key in this game, as well as going forward.

In limited time this season, he has averaged 10 points, three rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Those numbers will increase with his time on the floor. I expect that to continue to grow tonight.

 

Georgetown Player To Watch: Henry Sims

The senior center will have his hands full against the possible No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Andre Drummond. At 6'10", 242 pounds, he has decent size to contend with Drummond, but the athleticism edge goes to Drummond easily. 

How Sims does against Drummond will be key. Sims needs a double-double performance to help his team get this victory. He accomplished that on January 21 against Rutgers. He'll need another strong night to help contend with Drummond.

 

Key Matchup

The Sims-Drummond matchup is the biggest key. Unless Georgetown is hot from the outside, the points in the paint will be pivotal. UConn will feed Drummond and Oriakhi—Sims will largely be in charge of holding his own there and limiting second chances.

He won't likely outplay Drummond, but if the production is similar, the Hoyas have a huge edge.

 

Prediction

UConn 64 Georgetwon 58 

This will be a tough and hard-fought Big East battle, but UConn will prevail. They almost had things back on track in their last game against Notre Dame, as they played well defensively. It was only Boatright's first game back after a three-week layoff. The team will be more in-tune and the offense should flow much better.

Boatright may go for his biggest game of the season, and Drummond is getting better every week. He tallied his third double-double in five games against the Irish. Riding their inside advantage, UConn gets off the schneid with a win.