Georgetown’s offense presents a challenge for UCLA
— The Princeton offense might not fit well for the Lakers, or so it seemed under ousted coach Mike Brown, but it has worked just fine at Georgetown.
The Hoyas (2-0), who face No. 13 UCLA (3-0) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Monday as part of the Legends Classic tournament, have long used the system predicated on precision passing and backdoor cuts.
“It puts pressure on the defense from many different angles and you have many different options on how to score,” Coach John Thompson III said in a conference call last week.
It’s unclear whether sophomore forward Otto Porter, Georgetown’s leading scorer last season, will play. Porter sat out the Hoyas’ last game because of mild concussion symptoms and Thompson said he’s hopeful that Porter can play.
UCLA Coach Ben Howland called Porter “one of the best players in the country,” but even without him, Howland said facing Georgetown’s offense will be difficult.
“They have really good players and they really execute their stuff,” Howland said after UCLA beat James Madison last week.
Howland said the Hoyas’ patience on offense will probably mean that UCLA won’t be able to run on offense as much as it would like to do.
If UCLA beats Georgetown, it will play Tuesday against the winner of the semifinal between No. 1 Indiana and Georgia.
The Hoosiers and Bulldogs play Monday at 2:30 p.m. PST.
If the Bruins lose, they’ll play in the consolation game Tuesday.
Kyle Anderson to have lots of support
The Barclays Center’s capacity is 18,000, and more than 50 of those seats will be occupied Monday by friends and family of UCLA guard Kyle Anderson, a New Jersey native.
Anderson’s role in the game, though, could be different with UCLA guard Larry Drew II listed as a game-time decision because of a right ankle sprain suffered in practice.
Howland prefers to play the two in tandem as point guards, and although Drew is expected to play, it’s not clear how effective he’ll be.
Bruins junior guard Tyler Lamb, who sat out against James Madison because of a swollen left knee, is listed as a game-time decision. Lamb had arthroscopic surgery on the knee in October.
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