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The haiku preview of Georgetown basketball got me thinking about the upcoming season. We cover a few teams on this site, but the two best (Maryland and Georgetown) have pretty similar storylines heading into this season. Both are trying to replace their best player and both are expected to finish in worse position then they did a year ago. So which one will be better?
Georgetown has to replace Greg Monroe who was the seventh overall pick in the NBA Draft last year. But to me Monroe's loss is even more significant then that. Monroe wasn't just a great player, he was a great player who fit perfectly into the system that Georgetown likes to run. His passing and ability to play from the high post was perfect for the offense Georgetown likes to run. They're replacing the focal point of their attack.
Which is similar to the burden Maryland has in replacing Greivis Vasquez. We could see how important Vasquez was to the Maryland offense by watching it without him on Monday. Starting at point guard for the first time, Adrian Bowie had seven turnovers and failed to ever really get the offense into a rhythm. Maryland also has to replace Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne, making their transition more difficult.
These will be rebuilding seasons for both programs, and they won't really be expected to compete that seriously in either of their conferences. Having said that, Maryland was picked to finish in the middle of the pack last year as well and they ended up winning the ACC Regular Season title along with Duke. So there's always the chance that either of these teams could surprise us.
For both teams, it comes down to the players that will be replacing their departed stars. Maryland has Bowie and two true freshman to play the point, while Georgetown will rely on Julian Vaughn to hold down the fort inside while Austin Freeman, Hollis Thompson and Jason Clark to pick up the scoring load from the perimeter. Whichever teams gets better production from the players that are new to their rotation, will probably finish with a better record.
Today's must-reads from around the SB Nation network:
- Hogs Haven with some bold predictions about the rest of the season.
- Japers' Rink with a recap of last night's Caps win over the Rangers.
- Testudo Times with a preview of tonight's game against College of Charleston.
Today on SB Nation D.C.: Ben Broman with his weekly ACC Power Rankings. Casual Hoya previews the Georgetown season through Haiku. Jack Anderson with a Redskins defensive report card.