GAME NOTES: The Georgetown Hoyas will look to make it three in a row on Saturday when they invade the Dunkin' Donuts Center for a Big East Conference bout with the Providence Friars.

Georgetown is coming off a 65-59 victory over the Marquette Golden Eagles at the Verizon Center. Coach John Thompson III's squad knocked down 7-of-8 free- throw attempts in the final minute of the game to keep Marquette at bay. The Hoyas improved to 2-1 in Big East play with the win, but to avoid falling to the .500 mark they will need to pick up their first true road decision of the season. Georgetown was handed a 70-53 loss in its only other true road game at Xavier.

The Friars return home after overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat Butler, 66-62, at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday. Providence held the Bulldogs to 33.9 percent efficiency from the floor and finished with a 36-32 edge in total rebounds. Coach Ed Cooley's team is also 2-1 in league play despite playing two of its first three Big East games on the road. Providence is ranked just eighth in the conference in scoring offense (69.7 ppg), but has the fourth best scoring defense (62.0 ppg).

This will be the 65th meeting in history between these schools on the hardwood. The Hoyas hold a 44-20 all-time series lead after winning nine of the last 10 matchups. Providence coasted to a 70-52 decision over Georgetown when these schools met at the Dunkin' Donuts Center last season.

The Hoyas are led by the Preseason Big East Player of the Year, D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who has scored in double figures in 10 games this year en route to a team-best 14.3 ppg. Smith-Rivera is one of three Georgetown players averaging double digits in the scoring column, and also leads the team with 3.6 assists per outing. Joshua Smith has scored in double figures in five- straight outings, averaging 12.8 points and 5.8 rebounds during that span. The 6-foot-10, 350-pound senior is leading the team with 6.3 rpg, and is also fourth in the Big East in field goal percentage, connecting on 64.2 percent of his attempts from the floor. Freshman L.J. Peak has scored 26 points over his last two games to raise his scoring average to 10.1 ppg.

The Friars are shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and 32.3 percent from 3- point range, while connecting on 69.3 percent of their free throws. Providence is led by senior forward LaDontae Henton, who was named to the Big East Honor Roll this week after posting 31.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last week. DHenton is ranked sixth nationally in scoring (21.3 ppg), while sophomore Kris Dunn is fifth among all Division I players in assists (7.3 apg) and ninth in steals with 2.6 per tilt. Dunn made an impact in the scoring column at Butler on Jan. 6, tallying 20 of his career-high 25 points in the second half. Dunn also racked up eight boards and six assists, while Henton netted 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor.

Both of these teams have been impressive over the past few weeks. Although the Hoyas have a long history of success against Providence, this should be a fairly even matchup. The Friars are 8-1 at home this season, including an impressive 65-53 victory over Creighton in their last appearance in Providence.