Two of the three teams ranked ahead of the Georgetown Hoyas in the Big East lost earlier today. The Pittsburgh Panthers were knocked off by the St. John's Red Storm and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost in surprising fashion to the West Virginia Mountaineers.
The Hoyas avoided the same fate tonight against the South Florida Bulls. Georgetown survived an early scare in the first half and pulled away late to win 55-49 on the road.
Georgetown shot 51% from the field, but was out-rebounded by the Bulls in a game that was closer than it should have been, given the placing of the two teams in the standings. Chris Wright led all scorers with a big 26-point performance, eclipsing the 22-point total scored by South Florida junior standout Augustus Gilchrest out of Clinton, MD. Hoyas star Austin Freeman had a quiet night, scoring only four points, but also contributing eight rebounds in the win.
The Hoyas will return home to Verizon Center for two games next week. They'll take on the Cincinnati Bearcats Wednesday night, and then have a matchup at noon on Saturday against the Syracuse Orange.