The Georgetown Hoyas enter today's game ranked No. 13 in the country, but a 1-2 conference record in the Big East and a three-game losing streak are not anything they're thrilled about.
The Hoyas will look to get back on track today against the West Virginia Mountaineers, who are off to an equally disappointing 1-2 start in the conference.
These two teams met in the Big East Conference Final last year, but much has changed since then. De'Sean Butler and Greg Monroe are each in the NBA, and the rest of the Conference seems to have improved around them. Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Villanova, and Connecticut may be the teams to beat this year, and St. John's has a surprising 3-0 record, having defeated both of the teams in today's morning matchup.
In Casual Hoya's regular Sleeping With The Enemy segment, Mike Casazza of the Daily Mail blog gives some keys to the game for the visitors.
They've been pretty good on the road and, no offense, Verizon Center at 11 a.m. probably won't be that intimidating. That said, WVU has a hard, hard time keeping guards out of the paint and that should excite the Hoyas. WVU has also had its issues with rebounding and with keeping both hands on the wheel and those are things Georgetown tests and can probably exploit.
We'll find out soon enough. The game is being broadcast on ESPN2.