Georgetown vs Colorado Picks and Odds
- No. 12 Georgetown brings a four-game winning streak into an East Regional game against No. 5 Colorado at 12:15 pm ET on Saturday
- Colorado is the highest-seeded of the five Pac-12 teams in the NCAA tournament field
- Check the odds, analysis, and betting predictions, below
Georgetown (13-12) won four games in four days to win the Big East tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 as the No. 12 seed in the East Region. The Hoyas will play Colorado at 12:15 pm ET on Saturday.
Colorado (22-8) had a six-game winning streak broken in a 70-68 loss to Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament final The Buffaloes, seeded fifth, are the highest Pac-12 seed among the five teams that made the NCAA field.
Georgetown vs Colorado Odds
| Team | Moneyline at FanDuel | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown Hoyas | +180 | +4.5 (-106) | 137.5 (Ov-115) |
| Colorado Buffaloes | -215 | -4.5 (-114) | 137.5 (Un-105) |
Odds as of March 16.
Georgetown, seeded eighth in the Big East tournament, won their four Big East Tournament games by a total of 53 points, the only nail-biter coming in a 72-71 quarterfinal win over top-seed Villanova. The Hoyas are over. 500 for the first time since winning their season opener.
No. 5 seed Colorado was awarded the highest NCAA Tournament seed in program history. The Buffaloes will make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016. They have lost their last three tournament openers, two as the favorite.
Hoyas Turn It Around
Georgetown has been a study in overcoming adversity this season. Five Hoyas transferred before the start of coach Patrick Ewing’s fourth season and another left at midseason.
The Hoyas lost five games in row in late December and early January and had the next four games cancelled during a three-week shut-down because of coronavirus issues.
Since then, they are 10-4 straight up and 11-3 ATS with a pair of victories over a 20-win Creighton team, including a 73-48 blowout in the Big East title game behind Chudier Bile’s 19 points and a defense that limited the Bluejays to 28.8% shooting.
The turnaround began when Bile entered the starting lineup after the pause and leading scorer Jahvon Blair (15.8 points, 65 three-pointers) moved to the bench as the sixth man. Bile (10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds per game) added another physical presence to the Hoyas, who have a plus-5.1 rebound margin.
Freshman guard Dante Harris had 10 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in the finals and was named the Big East Tournament MVP.
The Wright Stuff
The outcome of Saturday’s game could hinge on the matchup between Colorado senior point guard McKinley Wright IV and the Hoyas’ aggressive defense.
Wright has built some impressive numbers during his four seasons in Colorado. He is one of six players in NCAA Division I history with 1,800 points, 600 rebounds, and 600 assists in his career. Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez in the only other Power Six player to make that list. Wright is 31 assists short of 700.
The Colorado offense runs through Wright, who is averaging 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists. Taking it upon himself to score more down the stretch, he is averaging 20.2 points in his last five games.
He scored 24 points in the Buffaloes’ 72-70 victory over USC in the Pac-12 semifinals despite missing about seven minutes in the first half after taking a blow to the head. He deflected a pass in the final seconds to snuff out the Trojans’ final chance.
Wright had 18 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in the loss to Oregon State.
Sixth man Jeriah Horne (11.4 points. 5.8 rebounds) and center Evan Battey (10.2, 5.4) are the only other Buffaloes scoring in double figures. The Buffs are a little more physical up front now that 6’8 freshman Jabari Walker has returned from injury.
By the Numbers
Colorado is 17th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency ratings and one of nine teams in the top 30 in both adjusted offensive efficiency and adjusted defensive efficiency. Georgetown is 55th adjusted efficiency margin and 41st defensively.
Colorado has shown an inconsistent streak. It has lost three Quad 3 games, the most of an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament field. Georgetown is 3-9 in Quad 1 games, although it won its last two.
The Buffaloes have made 82.16% of their free throw attempts, second in Division I. They were leading the nation and on pace to break Harvard’s NCAA record before going 12-of-20 from the line against Oregon State. Harvard made 82.18% in 1983-84.
The Pac-12 and the Big East are fifth and sixth, respectively, in conference RPI this season, and both rank below the Gonzaga-driven West Coast Conference.
Colorado’s best wins have come against USC (three times) and Oregon, which makes the resumé a bit problematic. The same could be said of Georgetown, although the Hoyas seem to have found themselves.
The pick: Georgetown +4.5 (-106)
Jack has covered college and professional sports for various Arizona media outlets since the 1980s and has written for the Associated Press, USA Today and Baseball America, among others. He staffed the 2015-17 World Series and has staffed four Super Bowls.
