Another loaded day of college basketball action is in store. One of the headline matchups will be between the Miami Hurricanes and the Georgetown Hoyas. Both teams are off to a strong start to the season with a combined record of 10-3 and will be facing off in a consolation game as part of the ESPN Events Invitational’s Magic Bracket.
Looking at the odds, Miami enters as a 5.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook. Georgetown holds +185 odds of pulling odd the outright upset with the game total set at 151.5 points.
Miami vs. Georgetown prediction, preview
The Miami Hurricanes are off to a 5-2 start to the season. Their victories have come over Jacksonville, Bethune-Cookman, Stetson, Elon, and Delaware State. Miami has come up short against Florida and BYU. Miami is 3-3 against the spread, with no odds offered for the matchup with Delaware State, and the over has cashed in four of their six games.
Indiana transfer Malik Reneau leads the team with 20.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Tre Donaldson adds 16.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.4 rebounds, while Tru Washington and Shelton Henderson also average in double figures. Ernest Udeh Jr. leads the team with 9.0 rebounds and 7.0 points per game.
The Hurricanes have a high powered offense that averages 87.9 points per game, which ranks 52nd in the country, and 56th in offensive rating. They rank 15th in assists per game and 34th in field goal percentage, but 159th in three-point percentage. Miami is shooting just 64.9% at the free-throw line, which ranks 330th out of the 365 D1 teams and has been a bit of a problem. Defensively, opponents are scoring 65.4 points per game, which ranks 46th. They rank 61st in opponents’ field goal percentage, 151st in opponents’ three-point percentage, and pull in the 56th most rebounds per game.
Georgetown enters with a 5-1 record and is looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season in overtime against Dayton. The Hoyas’ five wins have come against Morgan State, Maryland, Binghamton, Clemson, and Wagner. They are 5-1 against the spread, and the over has cashed in five of the six games.
KJ Lewis is the team’s leading scorer at 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while leading the Big East at 2.3 steals per game. Malik Mack is not far behind at 16.8 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while attempting a team-high 6.8 perimeter attempts per game and connecting on 36.6% of these three-point attempts. Vincent Iwuchukwu and Caleb Williams each also average in double figures.
Ed Cooley’s squad is averaging 81.7 points per game, which ranks 128th among D1 teams. They rank 125th in offensive rating, 235th in field goal percentage, and 317th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 72.2 points per game against the Hoyas, which ranks 169th in the country. Georgetown ranks 42nd in opponents’ field goal percentage, but 251st in opponents’ three-point percentage.
Miami vs. Georgetown pick, best bet
Neither of these teams is the most proven and has had relatively easy schedules to this point. Miami has mostly beaten the teams they are supposed to, but dropped both their ranked matchups, which they looked a bit disappointing in each. Georgetown’s upset win over Maryland was encouraging, and they were able to force overtime in the previous game against Dayton despite trailing by 14 with 5:46 left to go.
The overall talent level of Miami is probably higher, but Georgetown has shown more overall this year. The Hurricanes have lost each of their last seven games against non-Conference opponents at neutral locations, while Georgetown has won five of its last six games against non-Conference opponents overall. The Hoyas have the ability to slow the game down and do a nice job taking care of the football. They are currently ranked sixth among D1 programs in turnovers per game and also are ninth in blocks per matchup. Georgetown’s defense is the strongest unit in this matchup.
This is a consolation game in the tournament with little at stake in this regard, but both these teams still have a way to go to reach their peak of play. Miami has come out really flat in both its ranked matchups this year, which is a concern. While Georgetown is not quite in this tier of talent, the Hoyas should be looked at as live dogs, and I am backing the points. Look for Georgetown to continue playing with a high level of competitiveness and keep within the 5.5-point spread.
