Kentucky basketball may not be playing the No. 1 team in the country Thursday night, but the Georgetown Hoyas are still a significant opponent for the Wildcats.
Again, Thursday night may be “just an exhibition game” for the Wildcats, but to them, it still counts.
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Georgetown played at Rupp Arena in the legendary 1985 NCAA Tournament National Championship, when the Hoyas were upset by the No. 8 seed Villanova Wildcats. That game is one of the most significant in NCAA Tournament and College Basketball history.
Let’s take a look at this year’s Georgetown Hoyas team and my keys to the game ahead of Thursday night at Rupp Arena.
Players to Watch on Georgetown
1. No. 5: KJ Lewis — 6-4, 210 lbs. Jr. Guard, El Paso, Texas; Arizona Transfer
I remember watching Lewis at Arizona last season when they came to Cincinnati to play the Bearcats. He played in all 37 games the Wildcats played last season, making six starts and setting career highs with 106 assists, 31 blocks, and 49 steals. Lewis averaged 10.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in the regular season, and he increased those totals to 15 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
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Lewis is a member of the Preseason Big East Second Team. He was a top-100 recruit out of high school, and he led Duncanville High School in Texas to a No. 1 final ranking in USA Today as a Senior.
2. No. 2: Malik Mack — 6-2, 175 lbs. Jr. Guard, Oxon Hill, Md.; Harvard Transfer
Mack is coming off a strong first season at Georgetown, averaging 12.9 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 35.5 percent from beyond the arc in 34.8 minutes per game.
As a Freshman at Harvard in 2023-2024, Mack set the program’s single-season points record for a first-year (413 points), scored in double figures 21 times, netted 20 or more points eight times, and dished out five or more assists 14 times. In addition, Mack led the Ivy League in assists per game (4.8), third in points per game (17.2), third in free throw percentage (81.3), fourth in free throws (100), fourth in minutes per game (33.4), and sixth in steals per game (1.3). Mack led the team in points per game, minutes per game, assists per game, and steals per game.
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In high school, Mack was the 2022-2023 Gatorade Player of the Year in Washington, D.C..
3. No. 13: Langston Love — 6-5, 210 lbs. Gr. Guard, Universal City, Texas; Baylor Transfer
Another terrific player I remember watching in the Big 12, Love played the previous three seasons at Baylor and was a glue guy on three really talented Baylor teams. He was All Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2023-2024 when he averaged 11 points per game and shot 46.5 percent from the field and 48 percent from three-point range.
4. No. 4: Caleb Williams — 6-7, 227 lbs. So. Forward, Upper Marlboro, Md; Sidwell Friends [D.C]
Williams is in his second season with the Hoyas, coming off a solid Freshman season where he averaged 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He played 20.4 minutes per game and shot 44.4 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from three-point range.
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Williams was the No. 1 prospect in the D.C. area in the Class of 2024, according to 247 Sports.
5. No. 3: Vince Iwuchukwu — 7-1, 257 lbs. Sr. Center, Imo State, Nigeria; Southern California Academy [Calif.]; St. John’s Transfer
Iwuchukwu has played a lot of college basketball in his career, beginning with two seasons at USC and this past season at St. John’s. He played in 34 games with one start at St. John’s, averaging 2.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks in 7.2 minutes per game.
6. No. 45: Kayvaun Mulready — 6-4, 219 lbs. So. Guard, Worcester, Mass.
Mulreasy played in 22 games in his Freshman season and averaged eight minutes per game and 1.4 points per game. He was the No. 2 prospect from Massachusetts and the No. 10 shooting guard in the country, according to 247 Sports.
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Head Coach: Ed Cooley (3rd Season, 27-39; 20th Season Overall, 361-261)
The winner of the 2022 Big East and Naismith College Coach of the Year Awards, Cooley is in his third season at Georgetown after spending the previous 12 seasons at Providence.
In those 12 seasons at Providence, the Friars went to seven NCAA Tournaments and reached the Sweet 16 in 2022 as a No. 4 seed. Providence won the 2022 Big East regular-season title and the 2014 Big East Tournament Championship. In addition, while at Providence, Cooley has coached five All-Americans. He has also had players earn two Big East Player of the Year honors, two Big East Defensive Player of the Year accolades, three Big East Most Improved Player awards, one Big East Tournament MVP, five Big East All-Tournament Team accolades, two Big East All-Rookie Team awards, one Big East Sportsmanship honor, and 12 All-Big East honors.
Prior to Providence, Cooley spent five seasons as the head coach at Fairfield, leading the Stags to the 2011 MAAC regular-season championship and earning the 2011 MAAC Coach of the Year award.
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As an assistant, Cooley was on Rhode Island’s staff for one season and Boston College for nine seasons. At Boston College, the Eagles won three Big East regular-season titles and the 2001 Big East Tournament title.
Keys to the Game
1. Come out with the same mentality as in the Purdue game
Again, this may not be No. 1 Purdue. But this Kentucky team knows that if the ball is being tipped to start a game, it counts. That mentality needs to be on display Thursday night, and it should be.
2. Rebounding
The Wildcats did an excellent job on the boards against Purdue, winning the rebound battle 42-30. That same effort will go a long way against a Hoyas team that averaged 35.2 rebounds per game last season and should be a good rebounding team again this season.
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3. Avoid the chaos
Last year, the Hoyas had 480 assists and 395 turnovers. Their opponents had 459 assists and 450 turnovers. That sounds like chaos. The Wildcats can’t get caught up in that.
4. Three-point shooting defense
This matchup should favor the Wildcats. The Hoyas shot just 32.3 percent from three-point range in 2024-2025.
Score Prediction: Wildcats 81 – Hoyas 68
Coming off an impressive performance against No. 1 Purdue, there is every reason to believe the Wildcats will have another impressive performance Thursday night against the Hoyas. This will be another good opponent for the Wildcats ahead of the start of the regular season, and they will be ready to play in front of their home crowd at Rupp Arena Thursday night.
