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LINKS: Hoyas Face Familiar Foe in Late Slot of Big East Tournament

· Yahoo Sports

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: Brandon Maclin #0 of the DePaul Blue Demons dribbles up the court past Kayvaun Mulready #45 of the Georgetown Hoyas during a college basketball game at Capital One Arena on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The postseason has arrived, and your Georgetown Hoyas (14-17, 16-14) are heading to Madison Square Garden to face the sixth-seeded DePaul Blue Demons (16-15, 8-12) in the first round of the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament. After over a decade of disappointment, many of the Georgetown faithful are frustrated to be appearing in the last slot on day 1 at the Garden. Fans genuinely want the players to succeed here and in each game, but certainly not as a detriment or deterrent to positive change in the near future.

Winning tonight and building momentum with strong performances on both ends of the floor, regardless of the result, would be tremendous. There are no moral victories, but the season will end on a loss for all but one team. If they can’t see a banner, fans want to see discipline, defense, and determination.

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The Hoyas enter tonight’s 9 p.m. tipoff with fresh momentum after a gritty 80-79 victory over Providence to close out the regular schedule. Senior center Vince Iwuchukwu led the way in that finale, recording a double-double with a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

Hoyas fans have heard the unfortunate news that All-BIG EAST Third Team selection KJ Lewis will indeed miss the remainder of the season with a left ankle injury.

Stepping into a larger role is sophomore guard Kayvaun Mulready, who recently earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after averaging 16 points over the last two contests.

The Hoyas roster will need a collective effort against a DePaul squad that finished with the second-most conference wins in their program’s history under coach Chris Holtmann.

The two programs split their regular season matchups, with Georgetown securing a 70-61 victory at Capital One Arena in late January behind a 16-point performance from junior Malik Mack. The Blue Demons are coming off an 81-71 loss to Butler, but senior forward NJ Benson has been a formidable presence inside, averaging 17.4 points and 9.7 rebounds over his last seven games.

Other Wednesday matchups include Providence vs. Butler (4PM) and Xavier vs. Marquette (6:30 PM). Winner of tonight’s DePaul-Georgetown (9PM) game will face Villanova tomorrow.

Here are the links:

Eleventh-Seeded Hoyas Face #6 DePaul in First Round of BIG EAST Tournament – Georgetown University Athletics | GUHOYAS

Georgetown men’s basketball will travel to New York to face the sixth-seeded DePaul Blue Demons in the first round of the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament Presented by Jeep. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.

FOLLOW THE HOYAS Wednesday’s game can be seen live on Peacock with John Fanta calling the play-by-play, Donny Marshall providing analysis and Caroline Pineda reporting from the sidelines. The game can be heard locally on Team 980 and on the SiriusXM app with Rich Chvotkin on the call in his 52nd season. A link to the live stats can be found on GUHoyas.com.

ABOUT THE HOYAS In its last outing, Georgetown (14-17, 6-14 BE) defeated Providence on March 7, 80-79, at Capital One Arena to close the regular season.

Vince Iwuchkwu scored a career-high 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting and a squad-best 10 rebounds off the bench to nab the double-double and lead a quintet of Hoyas in double-figure scoring.

Kayvaun Mulready was GU’s next leading scorer with 12 points, followed by Malik Mack and Caleb Williams with 11 points apiece, with Jeremiah Williams rounding out those in double figures with 10 of his own.Mulready dished out a team-high seven assists.

Hoyas Hopeful Ahead of Tournament DePaul Match-Up | The Hoya

Despite entering as the lowest seed, Head Coach Ed Cooley said the outcome of this year’s tournament is not predictable.

“This is the most open the Big East tournament’s been, in my opinion, in the 24 years I’ve been in the league,” Cooley said during a March 9 press conference before the team travelled to New York City.

This year, Georgetown and DePaul split their two regular-season matchups. The Blue Demons won the first meeting Jan. 6, defeating the Hoyas 56-50 in Chicago after Georgetown went 1-for-23 from the field in the second half. On Jan. 28, the Hoyas responded with a 70-61 win at home.

Even in their loss, Cooley said Georgetown has played well defensively against DePaul this season.

“Overall defensively, the two games we’ve played them, I think it’s been two of our better defensive games,” Cooley said.

Georgetown will need to contain key DePaul players, including guard CJ Gunn and forward NJ Benson, and Cooley said finishing defensive possessions will be critical.
“We’re doing a great job on everybody’s initial actions,” Cooley told The Hoya. “But in the last couple of games, what’s hurting us is our inability to complete the defensive possession by rebounding the ball.”

Lewis Named All-BIG EAST Third Team – Georgetown University Athletics | GUHOYAS

Georgetown University’s KJ Lewis was named to the All-BIG EAST Third Team, as announced by the league office in New York on Sunday. The announcement comes at the conclusion of the regular season that saw the team finish with an overall record of 14-17 with a 6-14 mark in BIG EAST play. The Hoyas will be the 11th seed in the upcoming 2026 BIG EAST Tournament presented by Jeep.

Kayvaun Mulready Named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll – Georgetown University Athletics | GUHOYAS

In a 1-1 week, Mulready averaged 16.0 ppg on 52.4% (11-21) shooting from the field, 44.4% (4-9) from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-for-6 performance from the charity stripe. In the win against Providence to sweep the series, the sophomore managed 12 points to go along with a career-high five steals and a pair of assists.

Against St. John’s, he tallied a squad-best 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and two helpers. He became the fifth GU player to achieve a 20-point outing this season. This is Mulready’s first accolade from the league this season and first in his career. It is the ninth recognition for the Blue & Gray this campaign as KJ Lewis, Malik Mack and Julius Halaifonua have also picked up honors.

Hoyas Hold on for 80-79 Win Over Providence, Completing Season Sweep – Georgetown University Athletics | GUHOYAS

“You know, this game was indicative of our entire season, you know, coming down to the last shot, last play. I thought Providence played really well in the second half. We matched it, overcame it. They came up with energy in the second half and we had to bounce back. I mean, this game was clearly indicative, and we were fortunate today just to get a win. You know, the win that we needed. Looking forward to going to New York and facing DePaul.” – Head Coach Ed Cooley

“Honestly, it’s just the work I put in and the coaches and just them trusting and believing in me. I mean, my teammates kept giving me the ball in the second half. You know, they told me to go to work, you know … I mean, we kept trying to pick each other up as many times as possible, whether it’s a deadball, time out, media, whatever, just stay in poise. Ignore the loudness or the Providence fans, so just ignore them. We’ve been in tougher situations, environments, and we’ve been in close games. It feels like every single game. So it’s nothing new.” – Vince Iwuchukwu

Blue Demons Open BIG EAST Tournament Wednesday Night – DePaul University Athletics | DEPAULBLUEDEMONS

The winner of Wednesday night’s game advances to Thursday’s quarterfinals against third-seeded Villanova. That game is scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. CT tip on FS1. LAST TIME OUT DePaul (16-15, 8-12 BIG EAST) closed out the regular season against Butler, falling 81-71. NJ Benson had a personal-best in conference play with 24 points, in addition to 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

The Blue Demons’ defense held Butler without a field goal for the final eight minutes of the game but couldn’t complete the comeback attempt. The Blue Demons finished the regular season with the second-most BIG EAST wins in program history and highest seed in the tournament.

Blue Demons Run Out of Time With Late Comeback – DePaul University Athletics | DEPAULBLUEDEMONS

A late second half comeback for DePaul men’s basketball wasn’t enough to pull back from a deficit Saturday afternoon at Wintrust Arena as Butler won, 81-71. NJ Benson had a personal-best in BIG EAST play with 24 points for his fifth double-double of the season. DePaul (16-15, 8-12 BIG EAST) held Butler (16-15, 7-13 BIG EAST) without a field goal for the final eight minutes of the game, nearly erasing a double-digit deficit.

Kaleb Banks added his sixth double-digit outing of the year with 11 points, followed by a trio of nine- point scorers in Brandon Maclin, Layden Blocker and CJ Gunn. Maclin and Gunn both had career- high assists with seven and five, respectively.

No more MSG moral victories: DePaul wants more against Georgetown | CBSSPORTS

“There’s always excitement going into the conference tournament,” said DePaul coach Chris Holtmann. “Our guys are a pretty resilient group, and they’ve got a good way about them right now. They were disappointed they didn’t get the five seed and the bye. Being the six seed, I think they feel good about that.”

Georgetown’s second season under coach Ed Cooley ended with a 71-67 loss to DePaul in the opening round last year. The Hoyas (14-17) were picked sixth in the preseason poll, but finished under .500 for the fourth time in five seasons. Georgetown lost seven straight before eking out an 80-79 victory over Providence on Saturday. Georgetown lost 11 of 17 conference games by single digits, including a two-point loss to UConn on Jan. 17 and a three-point loss at St. John’s on March 3.

‘They just keep coming’: DePaul squares off against Georgetown in round one of men’s Big East tournament | DEPAULIAONLINE

The Blue Demons find themselves with the sixth seed, the highest in program history. They will play against the No. 11 seed, the Georgetown Hoyas on March 11 at 8 p.m. CT. In their last matchup, the Blue Demons fell 70-61 on the road. To rebuild their momentum following the two-game skid as they head into the tournament, senior forward NJ Benson highlighted watching film in a postgame press conference after their 81-71 loss to Butler in the regular season finale.

“Coach has started to show us a lot of response clips in the room — tight huddles and responding to bad calls or missed plays and diving on the floor, just the plays that win you games,” Benson said. “We haven’t been doing a lot of since Marquette.”

DePaul faces Georgetown in Big East Tournament | APNEWS

The Hoyas are 6-14 in Big East play. Georgetown ranks fourth in the Big East with 9.7 offensive rebounds per game led by Vincent Iwuchukwu averaging 2.2. DePaul is shooting 43.7% from the field this season, 0.3 percentage points higher than the 43.4% Georgetown allows to opponents.

Georgetown averages 6.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.1 fewer makes per game than DePaul allows. The teams play each other for the third time this season. Georgetown won the last matchup 70-61 on Jan. 29. Malik Mack scored 16 to help lead Georgetown to the win, and Brandon Maclin scored 19 points for DePaul.

Big East Tournament Preview | 247SPORTS

While the Hoyas are the 11-seed, by no means will they be a pushover. While they have lost 7 out of their last 8 games, they won their last contest of the season, beating Providence at home 80-79 on Saturday night. However, once again they will be playing shorthanded without arguably their best player in KJ Lewis.

Lewis was the Hoyas’ leading scorer (14.9), and his absence has been felt. He injured his left ankle and has missed the last three games. However, several other players have been stepping up in his place. One player to keep an eye out for is sophomore guard Kayvaun Mulready. The 6’4″ sophomore guard has been Lewis’s de facto replacement. On the season, Mulready averages just 5.3 points in 15.7 minutes per game.

DePaul looks to respond | 247SPORTS

The last time these two teams met, Georgetown controlled the paint. The Hoyas scored 30 of their 70 points in the paint, and DePaul couldn’t get much going inside. Benson was held to just four points and six rebounds across 27 minutes in that contest.

However, things have been much different over the past five weeks. Benson has been one of the best big men in the conference, averaging 17.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.9 blocks over his past seven games. The senior forward will also enter this game with some fuel after not being selected to any of the Big East conference teams on Sunday. Benson averaged 11.7 points and 7.6 rebounds in the regular season.

Butler spoils DePaul’s Senior Day | 247SPORTS

With the early shooting struggles, the Blue Demons leaned more on NJ Benson in the second part of the first half. Benson had his way inside across the first 20 minutes, catching some lobs and finishing some second-chance opportunities.

He led the team with 15 points in the first half. On the defensive side, Butler’s size was too much for the Blue Demons. They had a hard time boxing out Butler down low. The Bulldogs had nine offensive rebounds in the first half, which resulted in 10 second-chance points. Those 10-second-chance points were the difference for Butler heading into the break.

Although DePaul made four of its last seven shots to end the half, the team went into the locker room with a seven-point deficit (39-32).

Hoyas Embrace Second Season | MTC Media

This season, the Blue Demons have shed the “lowly DePaul” label and, to be honest, have gotten the best of Georgetown in recent history, even though the Hoyas had a solid 70-61 home win in late January.

The Blue Demons have lost their last two games, with the Butler loss being the most damning. In the loss to the Bulldogs, DePaul shot 37.1% from the floor and 22% from the three-point line.

For the Hoyas, it’s getting by this one.

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