NEW YORK – Following a 9-9 record in the BIG EAST regular season, the Georgetown University men's basketball team tied for third in the league and earned the #6 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament presented by Jeep, held March 13-16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The sixth-seeded Hoyas (19-12, 9-9 BIG EAST) face the #3 seed Seton Hall Pirates (18-12, 9-9 BIG EAST) in the quarterfinals.
Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. and the game can be seen live on FS1 with Gus Johnson calling the play-by-play, Bill Raftery providing analysis and Lisa Byington on the sidelines. Fan can listen nationally on SiriusXM 133 / 201 / 964 or locally on The Team 980 with Rich Chvotkin in his 45th season on the call.
Following the completion of the regular season, the Blue & Gray hauled in four league postseason honors as
Jessie Govan (Queens Village, N.Y. / Wings Academy) was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, the 26th Hoya to garner the honor and the first since 2015. For their efforts this season, the trio of
James Akinjo (Oakland, Calif. / Salesian College Preparatory),
Josh LeBlanc (Baton Rouge, La. / Madison Prep Academy) and
Mac McClung (Gate City, Va. / Gate City) were all named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. It was just the second time in league history three teammates were named to the squad.
The Hoyas are coming off an 86-84 win at then-No. 16/15 Marquette on Saturday. The freshman backcourt of Akinjo (25) and McClung (23) combined for 48 points in the road win. Govan and
Jamorko Pickett (Washington, D.C. / Massanutten Military Academy [Va.]) rounded out those in double figures with 10 apiece.
Trey Mourning (Miami, Fla. / Ransom Everglades) grabbed seven boards to lead the squad while Akinjo's five assists was a team best.
Govan leads three Hoyas in double figures with 17.6 points per game while averaging 7.6 rebounds per game, ranking sixth and fifth in the BIG EAST, respectively. In addition to his All-BIG EAST accolades, he was named All-District II by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) on Tuesday. Last week, he was named a top-5 finalist for the 2019 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, recognizing the top center in men's college basketball.
McClung and Akinjo add 13.4 and 13.3 ppg in the backcourt. LeBlanc ranks second on GU in rebounding, and sixth in the BIG EAST, with 7.5 boards a contest and continues to be efficient in the offensive zone ranking third in the conference in field goal percentage at 62.9 percent. Akinjo leads the BIG EAST in assists with 166 on the season.
Seton Hall is coming off two-straight wins over ranked opponents with its last loss coming at the hands of the Hoyas on GU's Senior Night. Seton Hall defeated then-No. 23/23 Villanova 79-75 as the Pirates celebrated their Senior Day. The win came days after SHU used an 18-0 run to close the game and defeat Marquette 73-64. Myles Powell leads the Pirates with 22.6 ppg while Myles Cale follows up with 10.4 ppg as the only other player in double figures. Sandro Mamukelshvili's 7.6 rpg is a squad best while Quincy McKnight runs the offense with 123 assists this season.
The Hoyas and the Pirates split the season series with both teams protecting home courts. SHU managed the 90-75 win at Prudential Center while the Blue & Gray won a thrilling double-overtime tilt in the Nation's Capital. Govan led the Hoyas with 21 points, tallying all 11 Hoya points in the second overtime frame.
The squads have met eight total times in BIG EAST Tournament action with each squad capturing four wins. Thursday night's matchup will be the first time the Pirates have met the Hoyas outside of the regular season since 2005, a 56-51 GU win in the BIG EAST First Round. The Hoyas hold an overall record of 4-2 as the #6 seed and are 9-2 all-time when facing a #3 seed.
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For tickets, please visit WeAreGeorgetown.com or contact the Georgetown Athletic Ticket Office at 202.687.HOYA (4692) or hoyatickets@georgetown.edu.
