Georgetown Hoyas: Non-Conference Schedule Preview

By Paolo Santamaria | Sep 25, 2015

Mar 21, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Georgetown Hoyas guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (4) celebrates against the Utah Utes during the first half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Georgetown Hoyas are flying under the radar to start the season once again, and while they’d rather strike quickly and silently than walk into the season with a target painted on their backs, their non-conference schedule may paint the target for them.

Below is the Hoyas’ non-conference schedule, released recently:

Date	Opponent
11/14/15	vs. Radford
11/17/15	at Maryland*
11/20/15	vs. Wisconsin*
11/22/15	Duke/VCU
11/28/15	vs. Bryant
12/01/15	vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore
12/05/15	vs. Syracuse*
12/07/15	vs. Brown
12/12/15	vs. UNC Wilmington
12/15/15	vs. Monmouth
12/19/15	vs. UNC Asheville
12/22/15	at Charlotte
01/23/16	at UConn*

Games marked with an asterisk denote a game against a power conference opponent. Additionally, Maryland, Wisconsin, Duke/VCU and maybe Syracuse/UCONN will be ranked games.

Last season, they were able to battle admirably against top-1o ranked teams, Wisconsin and Kansas, despite falling short down the stretch. And those games certainly helped build Georgetown’s tournament resume. According to KenPom, their schedule was the fourth toughest in the nation. While it’s hard to predict what the Hoyas’ jam-packed schedule will bring to their rankings and tournament resume, it’s safe to say that is unequivocally tougher.

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Maryland projects, at worst, to be in the preseason top three, and Duke and Wisconsin will be, well, Duke and Wisconsin.

The rest of the games aren’t exactly throwaways as most of the “cupcake” teams Georgetown schedules are still in the top 150 or 200 of RPI, even more impressive given the fact that there are 350+ teams in Division I basketball.

Obviously, Georgetown winning out in a tough non-conference schedule is basically wishful thinking, but if the Hoyas can win every game they’re supposed to win as well as one of the big games, they can absolutely vault into the top 15 of the polls before the conference schedule gets underway.

Maryland to start the season will possibly be the toughest test of the year and rests as the centerpiece of an impressive schedule. With Diamond Stone and Melo Trimble leading the charge for the Terrapins, Georgetown is sure to have their hands full, but the Hoyas’ athleticism and gritty style of play should keep them in the game.

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera is a master of slowing down the tempo, playing calculated iso-ball and getting off a high percentage shot. Slowing the game down often works in the team’s benefit as the rhythm of the Princeton offense takes time to get going and their lack of three-point shooting really prevents them from trading blows in a high octane game.

Still, the non-conference schedule ahead for the Hoyas should be a test of their mettle and prepare for them for an even tougher conference schedule (which I’ll preview next) that includes two games against likely ranked teams Villanova (top 10), Butler and Providence.

Sure, they may be under the radar now, but if this team can take charge and run through its non-conference schedule at 10-3 or 11-2, look out for a target on their backs in the form of a single digit ranking.

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