Georgetown Basketball

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The absent look on Ryan Arcidiacono's face said it all.

The Villanova guard sullenly stared into the base of the microphone during the postgame press conference as if it were 500 miles away.

"Georgetown didn't surprise us," he said, but he seemed at least as shocked as the rest of the country that his No. 4 Wildcats were blown out by the unranked Hoyas 78-58 on Monday night.

Early on, it felt like we were headed for a classic Big East showdown. For the first 10 minutes, points came at a premium while whistles and flying bodies were commonplace.

Then Georgetown blew the game wide-open with a 17-0 run late in the first half.

"That was maybe as good of a defensive stretch as we've had in a long time," Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said. "We were so good on defense that it spilled over to offense."

That's an understatement.

Georgetown scored 16 points off turnovers in the first 20 minutes and absolutely decimated the Wildcats inside. Were it not for back-to-back buckets by Daniel Ochefu late in the first half, Villanova wouldn't have scored a single point in the paint before the intermission.

Part of that was the play of fifth-year senior Joshua Smith.

Much has been written about his weight and conditioning issues over the years, but he has been great in the post this season and did something right before halftime that would have been unthinkable two years ago.

With Georgetown holding a 23-point lead, Smith received an entry pass on the low block only to fumble it a bit before it caromed out of bounds. Rather than shrugging before strolling back to the defensive end of the court, Smith sacrificed his body, diving into a billboard to try to make up for his mistake.

It was an absolutely terrifying moment for the people seated behind the billboard (which lost the battle), but also a moment that serves as a reminder that Smith—who transferred away from UCLA in the middle of the 2012-13 season and who was ruled academically ineligible for the second semester of last season—is finally committed to doing whatever it takes to help his team win.

His running mate in the paint was of even greater value, as Mikael Hopkins seemed to be everywhere for the Hoyas.

Every time Villanova tried to get the ball inside to Ochefu or JayVaughn Pinkston, Hopkins was right there to force a bad shot or a turnover. Even when he had two first-half fouls and the Wildcats were driving at him hoping for a third, he continued contesting shots left and right.

Hopkins didn't even score a point until the second half, but it was his rebounding, passing and defense that seemed to key the run that allowed Georgetown to pretty much coast to its first really big win of the season.

It's about time, too.

The Hoyas came awfully close on several occasions. They blew a late lead against Wisconsin in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis. They were within one point of Kansas with less than a minute remaining before coming up short.

But there was no chance they were letting this one slip away.

"We just wanted to come out and play Georgetown basketball," said senior guard Jabril Trawick, "And I think that's what we did."

And the crowd certainly appreciated it.

With 32 seconds remaining, Smith and Isaac Copeland waved their arms to amp up the student sections, but it merely threw gasoline on a fire that was raging all night long.

"Tyler's better," they chanted at Dylan Ennis during free throws just seconds into the game—a reference to his younger brother already in the NBA. He ended up being just one of several Villanova players who seemed rattled by the raucous atmosphere.

"Safety school!"

"Overrated!"

The fans held nothing back before ultimately storming the court.

The only thing that didn't work for Georgetown on Monday night was the T-shirt cannon.

The freshmen, in particular, thrived.

Copeland hit the game-winning three-pointer against Butler over the weekend and carried that momentum into a career-high 17 points Monday night. Paul White added nine points without missing a shot, and L.J. Peak had eight points.

That's 34 points for a freshman class not getting nearly the national recognition it deserves.

Can they keep it up in a conference that has been nothing short of topsy-turvy?

"I don't like (the parity) tonight," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright, "But I'll like it tomorrow."

The Hoyas are now in sole possession of first place in the Big East, but they are one of five teams with two losses—including DePaul, which should really tell you just how unpredictable things have been in the conference.

Georgetown is 4-0 at home in conference play, but six of the next 10 come on the road, including the rematches with Butler and Villanova.

Defense always travels, though, and if they play with the tenacity that they had at home Monday night, the Hoyas have more than enough talent and depth to win any conference game, regardless of location.

They're finally over the hump with a high-quality win. If the freshmen keep playing this well and Smith keeps looking this engaged, the Hoyas could find themselves as one of the Big East's top dogs heading into the postseason.

Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @kerrancejames.

In search of its first Big East Conference title in its inaugural season in the league, the No. 13 Creighton Bluejays take their offensive show on the road to Georgetown for a crucial showdown at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

The Jays own the superior record and boast important statistical advantages over the Hoyas, who are riding a hot 5-0 against-the-spread streak at home.

Point spread

Creighton opened as four-point road favorites, but that number was bet down to -3 at some shops monitored by Odds Shark. The total was hovering around 142 early Tuesday. (Line updates and matchup report details.)

Why Creighton can cover the spread

After a loss on Saturday, a six-point setback at Xavier, the Bluejays (23-5, 13-3 Big East) will be out to avenge that result against a team they already beat by 13 back on January 25.

Confidence prevails here, as the Jays know what they're capable of behind seven-time Big East Player of the Week Doug McDermott, who is averaging 26 points per game.

They average twice as many three-pointers per game as the Hoyas, according to the Odds Shark Smart Chart, an edge which can be a spread bettor’s best friend.

Why Georgetown can cover the spread

Home cookin' is always appetizing when investing in the Hoyas (16-12, 7-9) in D.C. They come into this one with an 11-3 mark at home overall and have covered five straight, all in Big East play.

This is somewhat of a must-win for the Hoyas, too, as they've lost three of four and are still jockeying for position in the postseason tournament.

Smart Pick

If Georgetown wasn't mired in a losing slide right now, it would be much more appealing as a home underdog. But with the Bluejays stepping to the wood off that upset loss at Xavier, they are going to be hungry for a victory.

Creighton has only lost back-to-back games once this season. After the other three losses, it rebounded with wins by 17, 28 and five points (an average of 16.7 per win). Lay the road chalk.

Trends

• Georgetown is 5-0 ATS in its past five home games
• Georgetown is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games
• Creighton is just 2-6 ATS in its past eight games as favorites

Note: All spread and odds data powered by Odds Shark. Follow on Twitter for injury updates and line-move updates.

Last night, two of the best teams from what is widely regarded to be the best basketball conference in the NCAA this year lost. To unranked teams...on their own home courts. Wisconsin, a team which had just two home losses last season, already has two in the first month of conference play thanks to the drubbing Drew Crawford and the rest of the Northwestern Wildcats inflicted upon them. Crawford's 30 points led to a 69-56 shocker at the Kohl Center.

Meanwhile, at the Value City Arena in Columbus, another upset which was even more shocking had already concluded. D.J. Lewbill's go-ahead bucket with just under two seconds left in overtime gave Penn State (yes, the Penn State squad who had gotten their first Big Ten win of the season less than a week earlier) a 71-70 comeback win over the once-vaunted Ohio State Buckeyes.

Yes, Ohio State has fallen off considerably due to erratic all-around play and inconsistent scoring since beginning conference play undefeated and ranked third in the nation. And yes, this Wisconsin team may have been been a tad overrated in the preseason.

What is going on in the Big Ten, however, is indicative of the parity in college basketball. Realignment is constantly molding and shifting the basketball landscape as we know it, and premier teams are now realizing that losing stars after one year, while having to play against lesser teams with players who are accustomed to each others strengths, weaknesses and inner thoughts, is often a distinct disadvantage. 

As the now-24th-ranked Buckeyes can attest, what is taken for granted one week can be yanked away in heartbeat before mid-week has even rolled around. College basketball, more than any other sport, is a night-to-night, matchup-based battle which cannot be predicted on paper. So, in line with the preeminent talking heads and sportswriters (many of whom are one in the same), I will now contradict myself and try to do the seemingly impossible: predict just who will make it out of this weekend unscathed, while handing out arbitrary, premature honors in the process. 

Cue the legendary Motown group, the O'Jays: "Give the people what they want..."

Matchup most likely to determine a regular-season conference title: (13) Cincinnati at (12) Louisville, 1/30- 7 p.m., ESPN

Cincinnati hasn't lost since an embarrassing neutral court defeat at the hands of crosstown rival Xavier in which they managed to score just 47 points. Other than a beatdown of 18th-ranked Memphis and an ugly 44-43 win over former conference rival Pittsburgh, the Bearcats' detractors will argue that Mick Cronin's team hasn't bested any opponent that could make noise in March. 

All any team can do is beat whoever is put in front of them, though, and Cincy has done that thanks in large part to a stifling defense that ranks fifth in the nation in points allowed, with just under 57 per game. They do this despite not being a particularly dominant team on the boards—it does help, however, that they're ranked in the top 20 in both rebounds and blocks. 

Senior guard Sean Kilpatrick is the main generator of the team's offense, scoring over 19 points per game, but senior forward Justin Jackson (good for 11 points and seven rebounds a contest in 2013-14) is the true X-factor and key for the team's all-around success moving forward.

Louisville, on the other hand, has been plodding along just as quietly as any reigning champion possibly could. A lot of this, of course, is due to the fact that their conference, the American Athletic Conference, is in its inaugural year and, thanks to the disappointing play of the Temple Owls, will be lucky to get four teams into the Big Dance come March.

Rick Pitino's Cardinals, however, just keep winning, despite losing their floor general from last year's national victor (Peyton Siva) and other key players such as Chane Behanan (dismissed/transfer) and Kevin Ware (injury). Russ "Diculous" Smith is a surefire Wooden Award candidate, and Montrezl Harrell, often an afterthought on the championship-winning squad of last spring, is averaging a whopping 8.5 rebounds and picking up much of the slack left by Behanan's departure.

Louisville ranks in the top 15 in Division I in points scored, over 83 a game, and represents the most offensive firepower that Cincinnati has seen to this point all year (and probably will see before the tournament). Everyone from Naismith to Izzo says defense wins championships, though, and if the Bearcats' D shows up tonight, the two-game difference in conference play that Cincy would give themselves with a win could very well be all they need to clinch the one-seed in the AAC tournament. 

Still, I'm picking Louisville, and Harrell specifically, to rise to the challenge tonight. Louisville 73, Cincinnati 66

Best Chance at Redemption: (16) Iowa State vs. (23) Oklahoma, 2/1- 4 p.m.

This doubles as the best game to not be nationally televised this weekend, partially because nobody expected the Big 12 to be this good. Certainly nobody expected the Sooners to be this good. Okie could lose this game and still move into the Top 20 thanks to their home win over Oklahoma State in a victory that certified not only temporary state bragging rights, but also announced to the rest of the conference that they have no intentions of going away any time soon. 

Center Ryan Spangler is averaging a double-double (over 11 rebounds and 10 points), and the scoring load for the Sooners is balanced by Cameron Clark (16.5 points per outing) and Brady Hield (16.4 ppg). The redemption in this game, however, is the Iowa State Cyclones' for the taking.

After surpassing expectations themselves throughout their non-conference schedule (which included takedowns of Michigan and cross-state rival Iowa), Fred Hoiberg's group fell back to Earth upon re-entering Big 12 play. Two losses to Kansas, the most recent coming last night in a 92-81 defeat, and another to Texas were preceded by an early conference slate loss to (guess who?) Oklahoma, 87-82.

Spangler was the star of that game, scoring 16 points and pulling down 15 rebounds while also blocking a pair of Cyclone attempts from the field. Cyclone guard DeAndre Kane (23 points, nine rebounds and four assists) almost single-handedly kept ISU in the game before being forced to leave with a leg injury before the contest's completion. Iowa State will need more post presence from their star big man, Melvin Ejim, down low if they hope to bring down a Sooners team which seems to be at the peak of their powers. 

The Cyclones are true to their name at home, with a destructive and overpowering record at Hilton Coliseum this season (their only loss thus far was against the Jayhawks). Oklahoma shot out of their minds in the first meeting between these two from three-point range (43.3 percent), including six treys from Hield, who scored 23 for the game. The Cyclones (just over 23 percent), on the other hand, were particularly ice cold from long range.

Iowa State gets the job tonight, though it should be won of Saturday's most hotly contested games. Iowa State 77, Oklahoma 74

Best Chance to Save The Season: Georgetown vs. (7) Michigan State, 2/1- 3 p.m., Fox Sports 1

The Hoyas have been largely disappointing since the season began. Though no one expected a Top-15 team in D.C. this season, not even the most respected experts thought that Georgetown, the school of Ewing, Thompson and Mourning, would be outshined in their own city by the George Washington Colonials, a good bet to make it into the national tourney this year from the Atlantic 10 conference. 

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera has been laudable (17 points and three assists a game), but Markel Starks, the team's leader, has struggled at times with shooting and turnovers (2.5 a game, compared to four assists). Nate Lubick is solid as a post presence, but still gets banged around by the likes of Marquette's Davonte Gardner and even Creighton's Doug McDermott.

JTIII's team has now lost five straight and six of their last seven against Big East competition which isn't as good as it was last year. It is readily apparent to any Hoya follower, or casual collegiate hoops observer, that the team misses Otto Porter's range and defensive stopping ability. 

However, G-Town does have the good fortune of meeting the championship-contending Spartans at their most vulnerable. Power forward Adreian Payne will still be out against the Hoyas in their tilt on Saturday at Madison Square Garden (he is expected to be back for their meeting with Penn State five days later), and Brendan Dawson, another starter in the post, isn't expected back until March.

If Georgetown isn't cold from the field, Lubick and Mikael Hopkins, who leads the Hoyas in rebounds with nearly six per contest, have the ability to pound the ball down low and create both scoring opportunities for themselves, as well as kickout chances for Starks and, even more so, Smith-Rivers, who is shooting a staggering 42.7 percent from behind the arc. 

I'm going out on a limb here and saying that Georgetown, no stranger to the bright lights of MSG thanks to their yearly participation and strong showing in the Big East tournament, will take advantage of a decimated Michigan State squad still recovering from an emotional road victory against Iowa on Monday night. Michigan State is still one of the foremost teams to watch out for come mid-March, but Georgetown will score the upset on this first day of February. Georgetown 65, Michigan State 61

Sunday's Best Game: (10) Michigan at Indiana, 2/2- 1 p.m., CBS

This year's edition of the Hoosiers is a far cry from the collection of last year, headlined by wunderkind guard Victor Oladipo and dependable big man Cody Zeller, both now in the NBA. But Yogi Ferrell, recognized mostly last year for his outstanding defense, has raised his game this season out of necessity, and has done so with aplomb. His 17.5 points per game overshadow the fact that he is also the only Hoosier averaging at least two assists per game.

Noah Vonleh has been solid down low with over 12 points per contest, but he will have his hands full against a Michigan frontcourt which is succeeding even without last year's starting power forward, Mitch McGary, likely lost for the year for the Wolverines after back surgery. 

The team's true success lies in the elevated play of their swingmen. Glenn Robinson III, who didn't follow last year's teammates Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the NBA, has stabilized his all-around play, scoring at a better clip than he did last year while handling himself better in the paint in McGary's absence.

The real star of the team, though, has been Nik Stauskas, who served mostly as a pure spot-up shooter last year but can now be seen beating opponents off the dribble and jab-stepping his path to open attempts on the way to over 18 points a game. Forget the arbitrary tag of "Wooden Award candidate." The Canadian-born Stauskas may very well be the front-runner for the prize at this point in the season.

It is a fool who underestimates the magical powers of Assembly Hall. Indiana beat Wisconsin, undefeated and ranked third at the time, 75-72 on January 14, and gave a full-staffed Spartans a run for their money on that same court prior to that season-altering triumph. Still smarting from a rare home setback against Northwestern, the Hoosier faithful will be rocking heartily in hopes that their home team can now hand the Wolverines their first Big Ten loss. 

Ultimately, though the game should be hotly contested into the final minutes, Robinson III will shine on the way to what will eventually be a Wolverine win. If Indiana does pull this one out, however, don't be too shocked. 

Another game to watch out for is 18th-ranked Pittsburgh, led by star forward Lamar Patterson and point guard James Robinson (who has the best assist-to-turnover ratio, at 4.2/0.9, in the nation) against Joe Harris and the surprising Virginia Cavaliers.

The Michigan-Indiana game will be closer, however, because of the special brand of slow-it-down and shoot-it-up nature of most thrilling Big Ten contests, and because the Oakland Zoo will help to take the Cavs out of the game early (as well the stout shot-blocking abilities of Panther big man Talib Zanna). After Monday's loss to the Duke Blue Devils, Pitt will not falter twice in a row at home. 

Michigan 68, Indiana 62

Pittsburgh 86, Virginia 73

As the Georgetown Hoyas enter the most difficult stretch of their schedule to date, they will be without one of their key players. Josh Smith was suspended for the rest of the season on Friday due to academic troubles.

The Hoyas will kick their week off with a home game against Villanova on Monday, and then they will have to travel to New York to face Michigan State on Saturday. 

If that brutal week isn't bad enough for John Thompson III and company, they are also in the middle of a four-game losing streak and have won just one of their last six games. 

With their dreams of qualifying for the NCAA men's basketball tournament thrown out the window—unless the Hoyas pull off a miracle run at the Big East tournament—Thompson and his remaining players must attempt to salvage their disappointing season. 

Heading into the season, the Hoyas were not expected to win the Big East, but they were expected to be one of the top four teams in the conference alongside Creighton, Marquette and Villanova. 

Instead, Georgetown has fallen flat in big games against Oregon and Kansas, along with losing to Seton Hall on its home floor on January 18. 

Literally nothing is going right for the Hoyas.

Now with Smith gone, they will have to somehow pick up the pieces and move on to avoid sharing the basement of the conference standings with longtime rival St. John's, a team that is also having a terrible 2013-14 campaign. 

With Smith out of the picture, the Hoyas do not have a strong presence in the paint, as Mikael Hopkins and Nate Lubick are now Thompson's best options. 

Both Hopkins and Lubick have the height to play down low, but they are nowhere close to Smith in the weight department, and both could get battered around in the paint if they try to emulate the UCLA transfer's play. 

The Hoyas did not have to worry about their perimeter shooting, but now that Smith is gone for the season, opponents will begin to put more pressure on D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Markel Starks in the backcourt.

Smith-Rivera (17.5 points per game) and Starks (16.2 PPG) have been two bright spots on an incomplete Georgetown team, and they will have to step up even more in the upcoming weeks as their team begins to play for pride instead of a berth in the postseason.

There is some good news—if there is such a thing this season—on the horizon, though.

The Hoyas will face a fairly easy stretch of five games after they compete against Michigan State. 

With DePaul, Butler, Providence, St. John's and Seton Hall on the docket in February, Georgetown has a chance to regain some pride by beating up on the lesser teams in the conference. 

That will not be as easy as it seems, though, because Providence is proving to be a surprise team in the conference at 5-2, and Seton Hall already took down the Hoyas this season. Butler pushed the Hoyas to overtime on January 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. 

If Georgetown can pull it all together during that five-game span in the heart of February, it could pull off an upset against the big guns of the conference. That will be a difficult task without a major paint presence such as Smith. 

All four of the Hoyas' final opponents (Xavier, Marquette, Villanova and Creighton) have big men who can take over a game in an instant, and they will all be licking their chops when they line up against the Hoyas, who lack depth and girth in the paint. 

Simply put, Georgetown could enjoy some success during February, but when it comes down to crunch time, it will fall short because it lacks a big man in Smith. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

The Georgetown Hoyas head into their Saturday clash with Kansas as a massive underdog, but since college basketball is as unpredictable as a weather forecast during winter, they stand a fighting chance. 

After the Hoyas lost their opener to Oregon and suffered an embarrassing loss to Northeastern at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, they fell off the radar, which may have been the best thing to happen to them.

To the surprise of most reading this sentence, Georgetown has a slightly better record at 7-2 than the Jayhawks have at 7-3. 

However, the Hoyas have played the likes of Elon, Colgate and Lipscomb while Kansas has played through a treacherous nonconference schedule that included Florida, Duke and Villanova. 

So, how exactly can the unproven Hoyas march into Allen Fieldhouse and leave with a victory? 

Here are three ways that John Thompson III's team can do the unthinkable on Saturday.

Do Not Solely Focus on Andrew Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins is the best player on the Kansas roster, but he cannot win games all by himself—at least, he hasn't proven that yet. 

If Georgetown's guards can shut down Frank Mason and Naadir Tharpe in the backcourt and shoot well on the offensive end, the Hoyas could put their hosts on upset alert. 

The one thing that the Hoyas must be aware of with Wiggins is his ability to turn it on in the second half. 

Throughout the first 10 games of his collegiate career, Wiggins has shown up more in the final stanza, and if the Hoyas decide to hone in on him specifically as he gets hot, it will mark the beginning of the end for them in Lawrence. 

Once Wiggins gets going, the rest of his team should get going. The Hoyas should not panic and focus on the same task they will have from the outset, which is shutting down the other players on the Kansas roster.

Get Hot From Beyond the Arc Early

Georgetown possesses some quality three-point shooters in D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Markel Starks, both of whom average over 30 percent from beyond the arc. 

Smith-Rivera has made 46.8 percent of his three-pointers, while Starks has hit close to 31 percent of his. 

If the Hoyas duo can find a rhythm from beyond the arc early, they will be able to bring the defensive attention out to them in the backcourt. 

If that does occur, the big men like Mikael Hopkins, Josh Smith and Nate Lubick could be left alone inside for easy baskets. 

Find a Way to Make Joel Embiid Ineffective

The other electrifying freshman on the Kansas roster is Joel Embiid, who is beginning to come into his own at the center position. 

For the Hoyas to have any success inside, they must rattle the young Embiid early on in the game.

If the frontcourt combination of Smith and Hopkins can force Embiid into a foul early on in the first half, it would be wise for one of the guards to drive into the lane and look for the freshman to drop further into foul trouble.

With Embiid off the court, Kansas' paint threat is nullified, as Tarik Black has done little to nothing positive this season and Perry Ellis presents a much better matchup in the size department for the Hoyas than Embiid. 

If the Hoyas fail to knock Embiid out of the game early, the trip back to Washington D.C. could be a very long one for Thompson and company.

Follow me on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

Last week, the NCAA decided to make the Big East a bit more interesting as they declared that Georgetown center Josh Smith was eligible for this season after leaving UCLA in the middle of last year's campaign. 

Smith was known more in Westwood for being overweight and lacking consistency than he was for his actions on the court. 

Both the 6'10", 350-pound center and Hoyas coach John Thompson III are hoping that the player, who has two years of eligibility left, has turned a corner and is ready to become a threat on both ends of the court. 

With Smith now eligible to play, the Hoyas have a massive body to throw to in the paint and someone to wreak havoc on defense. 

But, before we get ahead of ourselves here because the Hoyas have a new toy to play with, we must remember Smith is still playing at 350 pounds, which is a number that will catch up with him if it does not decrease throughout the season. 

While some people will argue against the effectiveness of Smith because of his weight and his inability to produce on a consistent basis at UCLA, he is still a great talent that improves a Georgetown squad that was in search for a big man with Greg Whittington out injured and Otto Porter Jr. now in the NBA. 

Smith will likely at center with Nate Lubick complementing him at the power forward position. In the backcourt, the Hoyas have an experienced trio in D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Jabril Trawick and Markel Starks. 

There is no doubt that much of the attention in preparation for the Hoyas will focus on the backcourt trio that are expected to do most of the heavy lifting this season. 

With much of the opposing attention expected to be shifted on his teammates, Smith may have a chance to have a breakout season in the nation's capital. 

Whether or not he is able to break out right away will remain to be seen. The Hoyas open up their season in South Korea against Oregon, in a game where Smith should not be expected to be the key playmaker.

However, by the time Thompson takes his team into Allen Fieldhouse on December 21, Smith could cause the young Jayhawks a boatload of trouble. 

Just like many teams at the beginning of the season, the Hoyas will need time to gel, and with eight games in between the clashes with Oregon and Kansas, they will get a chance to do just that. 

By the time that Kansas game rolls around, we will know the exact impact that Smith will have on the Hoyas heading into Big East play. 

The biggest impact that Smith will have in conference play will come in the four games against his team's two main rivals for the conference title, Marquette and Creighton. 

Against Marquette, Smith will be paired against the duo of Davante Gardner and Chris Otule in a battle of big men that could potentially leave lovers of frontcourt play salivating. 

Creighton will pose a different threat to the Hoyas, as their big man, Doug McDermott, is one of the most versatile players in the nation. 

What will be interesting to watch in regards to Smith's fitness is how he does against the Golden Eagles and Bluejays, whom the Hoyas play back-to-back twice this season. 

If Smith can handle the physical nature of the Marquette game and the finesse of Creighton's McDermott, then the Hoyas could realistically win all four games against their Big East title rivals. 

Whether Smith can handle the physical nature of the Big East and take the Hoyas to the promised land this season is still an unknown as big as the center himself. 

If the UCLA transfer can handle his junior season with the poise and concentration that he lacked in Westwood, he could become one of the best players in the Big East. 

Follow me on Twitter, @JTansey90.