On the surface, Georgetown’s next opponent looks much like most of the others on this month’s schedule, which is loaded with mid-major teams from the East Coast.
But Wagner (3-3), from the Northeast Conference, will present a different challenge for Georgetown (4-1) on Tuesday in Washington.
The Seahawks, who are coming off an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, rotate 11 players who average at least 10 minutes per game, with none of them averaging double digits in scoring.
The deep rotation is due in part to coach Donald Copeland still trying to discover his optimal lineup. He said injuries have prevented him from conducting full practices before and into the season.
After losing to three power conference schools, including ranked teams Rutgers and St. John’s, Wagner notched wins last week over Boston University (60-58) and Division III Springfield of Massachusetts (81-46).
Against Boston University on Nov. 19, R.J. Greene had 19 points and eight rebounds, and he scored the winning basket on a layup at the buzzer after receiving an inbound pass.
In the two victories, Zaire Williams had a combined 37 points and 10 steals.
“I like my group,” Copeland said. “They are bought into what we do and how we do it.”
Georgetown is coming off an 82-65 victory Saturday over another Northeast Conference school, St. Francis (Pa.), as Micah Peavy had 24 points and six assists.
The Hoyas trailed 57-56 before holding St. Francis to a single field goal over the final 8:50.
Jayden Epps had 23 points and six rebounds for Georgetown, which escaped against a Red Flash team that was missing two of its top three scorers.
“The thing that I’m most proud of is how our team responded, particularly the last eight minutes of the game, with what we did defensively, getting multiple deflections,” Georgetown coach Ed Cooley said. “We shortened our rotation in the second half purposely, just to try to create a little bit more chemistry on the floor.”
Foul trouble for the Hoyas’ top scorer and rebounder, Thomas Sorber, limited the freshman to a season-low nine points.
