If styles make fights, this could be a good one

December 27, 2014 - In boxing there is an old adage, 'Styles make fights'. From a pugilistic view, that would equate to punchers vs. boxers, jabbers vs. counterpunchers, brawlers vs. defensive oriented fighters, etc. The point is, one's strength could be another's weakness.

Hoops is similar, and today's Georgetown - Indiana tilt is a prime example. In the noon tip-off at New York's Madison Square Garden, G'Town (7-3) bring size and depth, while Indiana's Hoosiers (10-2) feature shooting.

Increasing the intrigue is the fact Georgetown has struggled defending second half perimeter shooting, particularly in after initial-action sequences. Home games against Kansas and Charlotte, a loss and victory, respectively, serve as prime examples.

Against the Jayhawks, an 75-70 loss, it was skip and drift that doomed G'Town. The final big shot was just such a scenario, one in which Brannen Greene received "a big time screen", that "wasn't even part of the play", one that was set after the play "broke down" according to him. The result was Greene being "wide open".

Charlotte's attack was somewhat similar, but relied more heavily on penetration into the lane and kicking out (G'Town won 81-78). Head 49'er Alan Major indicated the Hoyas "have five guys in the lane" when drove upon, "But, they do give you some seams on the perimeter when you drive it in there". His guards, particularly Pierria Henry routinely found paint off the bounce, and when doing so did "a good job of playing buddy ball and looking for each other".

In these cases, the numbers spell what actually happened" Charlotte sank 54.5% of their second half, three point shots, in the process dwindling a 16 point deficit to one. Kansas finished at 58.8% from beyond the arc.

Head coach John Thompson III found both games unacceptable defensively, with his mood decidedly more coarse after the Charlotte game - his team had basically repeated past failures.

Today, the Hoyas face a Hoosier squad that doesn't have a very long bench - six players log over 20 minutes per game, with three others playing more than 10 each contest, two of those in the 11 minute range. Georgetown on the other hand has nine players in double figures, a single being under 12 minutes each time out.

Couple that with the Hoyas' size advantage - the Hoosiers many times play four guards or three guards and a swingman, while G'Town can easily go 6'10", 6'8", 6'8", 6'5", 6'3", with senior center Joshua Smith being the tallest player on the court at 350 pounds. The Blue and Grey strategically like to get the ball inside, creating both paint shots or open jumpers.

Counterpoint is the shooting of IU; all of its 20+ minute guys tickle the twine at greater than 45% from the field. Freshman guard James Blackmon leads the team at 17.6 ppg.

Of course playing four good shooting guards pressures a team from the perimeter, not only in terms of launching shots but driving. A bigger team, such as G'Town, could have trouble with that. Especially one that has lost guys in the heat of battle.

In sum, today is a big, physical team that has struggled to guard the perimeter when it counted, against a small, dangerous shooting squad that could struggle against size inside.

Styles make fights. And this one should be a dandy.

Watch it on ESPN2, or listen to Rich Chvotkin's radio call on ESPN 980.

A companion/alternative to the above coverage is our real time, in-game chat, where the game is broken down as it transpires, and fans have the opportunity to provide their takes!