Surging Hoyas face first Big East test vs. Creighton

Field Level Media|published: Tue 17th December, 16:47 2024

Dec 14, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Georgetown Hoyas head coach Ed Cooley reacts to a play against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Georgetown coach Ed Cooley proclaimed that his team's win Saturday at Syracuse was its best "by far" in his two seasons with the Hoyas.

Now the question is: Can the high-flying Hoyas sustain their success in the Big East?

Georgetown (8-2) will begin to find out when it faces Creighton (7-4) in the conference opener for both teams Wednesday night in Washington.

Over the last three seasons, the Hoyas have lost six straight to the Blue Jays, with each of the defeats coming by double-digit margins.

But off to its best start since 2017-18, Georgetown is plotting a turnaround season.

The leaders of the Hoyas' resurgence have been Thomas Sorber and Jayden Epps, who share the team lead in scoring at 15.5 points per game.

Epps was brilliant against Syracuse, hitting 11 of 15 shots, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range, on his way to scoring 27 points.

After the win over the Orange, Cooley was more interested in talking about Epps' defense.

"His development defensively, it's almost like he's a new player," Cooley said.

Creighton has had an uneven start. After opening with four straight wins and moving up to No. 14 in the rankings, the Blue Jays lost three games in a row.

Then they rebounded with a win over Notre Dame, followed by an upset of then-No. 1 Kansas in the Big 12-Big East Battle. On Saturday, Creighton dropped an 83-75 decision at then-No. 7 Alabama.

"We're beat up and a little bit short-handed," Blue Jays coach Greg McDermott said. "So our margin for error is really slim."

Earlier this month, the Blue Jays lost Texas Tech transfer Pop Isaacs for the season with a hip injury. Isaacs' best performance for Creighton came in his final game as he hit 10 of 15 shots and scored 27 points to engineer the win over Kansas.

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton's leading scorer (17.4 points per game), rebounder (8.3) and shot blocker (2.5), also has been operating at less than peak efficiency as he's been nursing a lower-body injury.

Steven Ashworth, who averages 16.3 points and a team-high 6.2 assists per game, has also been slowed with an ankle injury.

--Field Level Media