Dunkin Donuts Center - Providence, RI
Tip-off: Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Line: Georgetown -1, Total: 130.5

Now 2-0 in Big East play, Georgetown will travel on Wednesday to Providence, which is winless in its two conference games to begin the year.

The Hoyas are 9-1 SU (5-4 ATS) in their past 10 games, including three wins in a row since getting blown out by Kansas. They beat DePaul by seven points and St. John’s by 17 points to begin their journey in the new Big East. Georgetown went 1-1 ATS in those two Big East wins and is now 6-6 ATS overall this season with a 2-3 ATS mark in non-home games (0-1 ATS on the road). The Friars lost their first two Big East games to Seton Hall (by 1 point) and to Villanova by 30 points on Sunday, dropping them to 1-7 ATS in their past eight lined games. For the season, they are 5-9 ATS overall and 3-4 ATS at home. Since 1997, Providence is 12-31 ATS (28%) in home games coming off a double-digit conference loss, but the Hoyas are 1-5 ATS (17%) this season after playing a game as a home favorite. When these two teams met last year, Georgetown won and covered at home with a 74-65 victory, marking its eighth straight SU defeat of the Friars. However, since 2000, Providence holds a 9-6 ATS advantage in this series.

Will Providence finally end its long losing skid to Georgetown? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the StatFox Experts selections every week throughout the entire 2013-14 season. The StatFox Experts have been rolling in college basketball Best Bets this season with a 62% ATS (139-86-5) mark, including a stellar 67% ATS (107-52) record since Nov. 23. StatFox Zach is leading the way at 67% ATS (30-15-1) on Best Bets this season, including 75% ATS (24-8) since Nov. 22, while StatFox Scott is 63% ATS (27-16) for the season and 70% ATS (19-8) since Dec. 2. StatFox Gary is 59% ATS (26-18-2) for the season and 69% ATS (18-8) since Dec. 3, while StatFox Brian is 61% ATS (28-18-1) for the season and 66% ATS (21-11) since Nov. 26. StatFox Dave is 59% ATS (26-18-1) for the season and 75% ATS (9-3) since Dec. 18.

The Hoyas are efficient on the offensive end, where they average 75.6 PPG on 49.5% FG (14th in Div. I). But they are also stingy on the other end of the court, allowing only 64.6 PPG on 38.2% FG (28.4% threes). SG D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (17.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.2 APG) is the team’s biggest scorer, hitting 2.5 threes per game on a 48% clip. He is coming off his best game of the season, a 31-point effort against St. John's in which he went 9-of-12 from the field, and drained 6-of-7 three-pointers. PG Markel Starks (16.0 PPG, 4.2 APG) helps create space for Smith-Rivera while also finding plenty of chances on his own. Last year against the Friars, he scored 16 points, dished out seven assists and tallied three steals. Perhaps the most daunting offense for Georgetown is 6-foot-10, 350-pound C Joshua Smith (11.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG), who has been effective on the offensive end with 66% FG in his first season after transferring from UCLA. He puts up those double-digit points in only 19.9 MPG, though he needs to be a more effective rebounder and defender before he can play more.

The Providence offense has been a big disappointment this season, averaging a mere 71.9 PPG (194th in nation) on 41.1% FG (306th in Div. I). However, these averages jump to 80.7 PPG on 45.6% FG at home. Defensively, the club gives up 67.0 PPG on 44.6% FG, but has surrendered 86.0 PPG on 51.7% FG in its two Big East losses. The Friars are led by PG Bryce Cotton (20.2 PPG, 5.6 APG), who plays nearly every minute of every game (38.5 MPG) and seems to always have the ball in his hands. Given that, it’s impressive he turns it over only 2.1 times per game, tallying an impressive 2.6 Ast/TO ratio. He scored 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting (5-of-12 threes) last year against Georgetown. The rest of the Providence scoring comes from frontcourt players who can stretch the floor. SF Tyler Harris (13.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG) can shoot the ball, but stands at 6-foot-9. Another 6-foot-9 player, senior PF Kadeem Batts (12.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG), and 6-foot-6 SF LaDontae Henton (12.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG) are also capable scorers. Henton is also the team’s top rebounder and is coming off a 17-point effort in the team’s loss to Villanova. Batts and Henton combined for 21 rebounds (9 offensive) last year against Georgetown, but made just 7-of-20 shots.