Marquette just moved down in the rankings after losing two games in as many weeks, most recently getting blown out at home by Vanderbilt. But in Big East play, they’re 1-0 with a win against Villanova, and they’re going to come out to play tonight in their first road conference game. And after the Hoyas’ rough game this past weekend, they’re going to need to step it up against a talented Marquette side.

As both teams are shooting around right now, here’s some pregame info I already have for you:

• The Hoyas are set to start the same five – Starks, Clark, Thompson, Lubick, and Sims.
• Marquette will be sending out Johnson-Odom, Mayo Wilson, Cadougan, Crowder, and GardnerBlue.
• The refs for tonight’s matchup are Brian O’Connell, Jamie Luckie, and Sean Corbin.

Keep checking back here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter for in-game updates.

This week we at Hoya Hoops will be putting our loyal readers to the test, but not with history or math questions. We will be asking a series of trivia questions covering a wide of array of topics relevant to Georgetown Basketball. Your goal is to get the most answers correct. Here are the rules:

Each day, Monday through Thursday, we will ask you two trivia questions, and you should email us your responses. On Friday, we will ask a trio of trivia questions.

The person who gets the most questions right at the end of the week wins. As a tie breaker, the person who responds fastest with the correct answers to Friday’s trivia questions wins.

Email your responses to us at hoyahoops@hoyahoops.com, and the winner will receive a Hoya Hoops T-shirt, and eternal glory. Happy studying!

Get a head start on your Christmas shopping, and buy your favorite Hoya fan a new T-shirt in time for the start of the Big East season.

All the game dates, times, locations, and TV information are in there, and once the radio schedule is finalized, we’ll put that in there as well.

And as always, we’ll be updating the calendar throughout the season keeping track of the results and sharing links to recaps, box scores, and analysis.

The calendar is available at http://hoyahoops.com/calendar/, and a how-to describing downloading / syncing with your own calendar application can be found here.

And if you want a printable schedule, just head to
http://hoyahoops.com/schedule/ to see the schedule in a table.

Hoya Hoops is launching a new video feature, entitled Georgetown Breakdown. Our own Tony Limarzi was at Verizon Center on Sunday with a full video report of Georgetown’s game vs. Marquette. This is our pilot edition, so take a look and please tell your friends to do the same.

We’re in negotiations with a number of sponsors, so we need as many people as possible to watch the video. Basically, tell your friends and spread the word. The more popular the first feature, the more likely it will be that we can continue to provide more extensive coverage.

The Hoyas are coming off 5 straight Ws and have been playing much better basketball than they did to start the Big East season.

The Friars are 3-7 in conference play but have won 3 of their last 4 including wins over Louisville and Villanova. So far, though, they’ve yet to win a Big East game on the road, and the Hoyas are looking to keep the Friars from getting their first this afternoon.

The Hoyas are set to start the same five: Clark, Wright, Freeman, Lubick, and Vaughn.

Providence will be starting Brooks, Batts, Coleman, Council, and Dixon.

The refs this afternoon are going to be James Breeding, Mike Roberts, and Wally Rutecki.

I’ll be checking in with updates throughout the game so keep refreshing and leaving comments below.

We decided that today would be a perfect day to launch our Hoya Hoops store. Right now, we only have one item in the store – the Hoya Hoops T-shirt – but that’s sure to change soon.

And since it’s Cyber Monday, we’re giving you a discount – all week, you can buy the shirt for just $10.

So if you want to get something to wear for the next home game, need a Christmas present for the Hoya fan in your life, or just can’t wait to win the Pregame Predictions competition, act quickly before the price jumps.

Check out the Hoya Hoops Store today.

Hoyas

This list has all the Georgetown Basketball players we could find. Here’s the updated list:

• Dikembe Mutombo – @TheReal_Mutombo
• Ron Thompson – @RonThompson
• Allen Iverson – @alleniverson
• Brendan Gaughan – @Brendan62
• Jeff Green – @jeff_green22
• Roy Hibbert – @Hoya2aPacer
• Jonathan Wallace – @JonWallace256
• Patrick Ewing, Jr. – @pewingjr6
• Jessie Sapp – @YoungSapp6
• DaJuan Summers – @dsummers35
• Greg Monroe – @G_Monroe10
• Austin Freeman – @SugarFree_15
• Chris Wright – @Cwright_4
• Julian Vaughn – @MrJujuVaughn
• Jason Clark – @JCDeuceUNO
• Nate Lubick – @natelubick
• Aaron Bowen – @A_Bowen23

Follow the list here.

Current Hoyas

This list only has the Georgetown Basketball players who are a part of this year’s team. If you only want to follow Hoyas who are a part of the 2010-11 season, this is the list for you:

• Austin Freeman – @SugarFree_15
• Chris Wright – @Cwright_4
• Julian Vaughn – @MrJujuVaughn
• Jason Clark – @JCDeuceUNO
• Nate Lubick – @natelubick
• Aaron Bowen – @A_Bowen23

Follow the list here.
Note: There are other current players who have Twitter accounts, but since their tweets have been protected, we have not included them on the list.

Hoya News

This list has all the twitterers who cover the Hoyas with news and quick updates. That list includes:

• Hoya Hoops (that’s us) – @Hoya_Hoops
• Georgetown Basketball Office – @GeorgetownHoops
• Hoya Blue – @hoyablue
• Hoya Hoop Club – @HoyaHoopClub
• The Hoya Sports Section – @thehoyasports
• Hoya Report – @HoyaNation
• Casual Hoya – @CasualHoya
• Glide Hoyas – @GlideHoyas

Follow the list here.

Remember, these are the personal accounts of Georgetown players, alums, and reporters, so we have no control over the content posted there. If you’re unhappy with what you find, don’t blame us.

The basic gist:

• A famous dignitary is likely to attend the game on Saturday.
• Get there as early as you can and plan for lots of traffic.
• Doors open at 11:00am despite 1:00pm start.
• Don’t bring bags unless you have to.
• Wear Gray.

Here’s the official message.

Jan. 29, 2010

WASHINGTON – We hope you are excited for Saturday’s men’s basketball game between the No. 7-ranked Georgetown Hoyas and the eighth-ranked Duke Blue Devils at Verizon Center.

On Saturday, Georgetown University Athletics would like to strongly encourage fans and attendees to arrive at Verizon Center at least 45 minutes earlier than normal. As this event is sold out, and due to the number of dignitaries expected to be in attendance, there will be enhanced security at the entrances to the arena.

Therefore entrance into the arena and the parking garages will be slower than usual. To assist in the process, doors and Will Call will open at 11 a.m., two hours prior to the 1 p.m. tipoff.

To have everyone in their seats by tipoff for this nationally-televised event, we ask that attendees consider the following when coming to the game on Saturday:

* Plan to arrive at the arena extra early. * Consider taking the metro instead of driving to the game. * If choosing to drive, the Georgetown Athletics Department strongly encourages parking in a garage away from Verizon Center. * Please leave backpacks, bags and extra items at home.

Any questions or concerns will be addressed by the Georgetown Athletic Ticket Office at 202-687-HOYA (4692).

Georgetown Athletics looks forward to seeing everyone at the game in their Georgetown Gray as fans Gray Out Verizon Center on Jan. 30.

[via GUHoyas.com]