College Basketball Odds, Pick for Georgetown vs Providence

Insert "Ed Cooley has a chance to do the funniest thing" part three. The Georgetown Hoyas aim to end the season of Cooley's former employer, Providence, in the Big East tournament.

The Providence Friars enter Wednesday in Joe Lunardi's "Next Four Out" of the projected NCAA tournament field, so a loss to the Hoyas would be devastating. tout.

It hasn't been a banner first year for Coach Cooley in the nation's capitol. Georgetown has won just nine games and only two in conference play (both against lowly DePaul). Perhaps a decent Big East Tournament run will compensate for some of the first-year missteps.

The Georgetown Hoyas have one good thing going for them: guard Jayden Epps, one of the top scorers in Big East play. He isn't an efficient scorer as he is averaging 18.7 points on just 38% shooting. However, the Hoyas need Epps to rise and fire because their other players don't scare opponents.

Epps leads Georgetown's offense, which ranks 97th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency. The Hoyas rely on shooting the ball a lot, attempting 3s on 40% of field goal attempts. Georgetown is a better-than-average shooting squad, connecting on 34% of 3-point attempts. Jay Heath, Dontrez Styles and Rowan Brumbaugh all shoot above 38% from 3—the highest markers on the roster.

Cooley is known for his defensive coaching talents, but so far, his coaching DNA hasn't connected with his team at Georgetown. The Hoyas defense is abominable, ranking 322nd in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency.

The biggest problem is defending the rim because opponents convert on 57% of shots from 2-point range, which ranks among the bottom five in college hoops. Opposing Big East squads have bigs like Donovan Clingan and Ryan Kalkbrenner, while Georgetown relies on Supreme Cook. You can see why that's an issue.

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Providence fans saw their beloved Friars surge to a 15-2 lead against No. 2-ranked UConn on Saturday only to relinquish the lead in mere minutes. In the second half, Providence trailed by as many as 26 points and ended up losing by 14 points. That's a severely missed opportunity for a team looking for an NCAA Tournament berth.

Kim English's squad has to win games on the defensive end. The Friars rank 17th nationally in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency compared to 133rd in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency. Teams can't score at the hoop against the Friars as they rank 18th nationally in 2-point field goal defense. A lot of the success comes from Providence's length and athleticism, which leads to contested shots.

Devin Carter fits the athleticism and length mold perfectly. The 6-foot-4 guard is now a surefire NBA draft pick, and he's a possible college All-American. He is Providence's heart and soul as he averages 19.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Carter has made huge strides with his shooting as he improved from below 30% in his first two seasons from 3 to connecting on a career-best 38% from downtown as a junior.

Carter and big man Josh Oduro combine for 35 points per contest, which is a majority of Providence's scoring. Since Bryce Hopkins tore his ACL, both players have made a significant jump in production. Providence needs the stars to excel since the next leading scorers, Ticket Gaines and Corey Floyd, average around eight points per game.

How will the Friars' dominant duo fare against the Hoyas?

My best bet for this Big East Tournament game is laying the 10 points with the Friars. I'm cool with grabbing 10, although I would love it at -9 or -9.5.

Providence's lack of depth shouldn't be a worry until later in the conference tournament, and Georgetown is just a tad better than DePaul among the doormats in college basketball.

Pick: Providence -10