Weekly Watch: Feb. 5 Paper

Georgetown vs. Villanova
2/6 at noon
The first meeting went by way of the home team — Villanova — by a five-point margin on Jan 17. This time, the Hoyas host the Wildcats. Along with that advantage, another bonus is the fact that Georgetown is coming off a convincing victory last Saturday afternoon against the Duke Blue Devils. In beating a fellow top-10 foe, the Hoyas held a 13-point halftime lead and shot over 71 percent from the field in an 89-77 victory. As of Monday, Villanova is 8-0 in Big East competition and have won 10 in a row — most of them coming in impressive fashion. Guard Scottie Reynolds continues to be the unquestioned leader of the club, despite only scoring 15 points per game in the last week-and-a-half.

Virginia Tech at Clemson
2/6 at 4 p.m.
Despite a fully healthy Malcolm Delaney leading them, the Hokies were beaten on Jan. 31 by a Miami team that had just one win in the Atlantic Coast Conference. According to most pundits, the Hokies are on the edge as far as getting into the NCAA Tournament is concerned and wins in league play are of the utmost importance. Tech’s match-up with the Tigers in Blacksburg will be the only meeting between the two this season. They played a pair of close games last year, each winning one on the other’s home court. Clemson avenged three straight losses with a triumph over Maryland this past weekend. The Tigers will look to establish an inside presence with center Trevor Booker, who’ll go up against the Hokies’ Jeff Allen.

Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
2/7 at noon
The Caps lead the league in scoring, making them one of the most exciting teams to watch in all of hockey. Delivering the most excitement is Alex Ovechkin. His 34 goals and 40 assists are the main reason why the nation’s capital has a team at the top of the standings. With the Winter Olympic break on the horizon — where many NHLers take the time to represent their respective countries — Washington is set to close it out on fire. That could be a bad thing, and potentially cool them off once play resumes. However, it could get a loaded team recharged for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. One team that has been a bugaboo for them come postseason time has been Pittsburgh. The Penguins knocked the Caps out in the second round last year, winning the decisive seventh contest. They went on to win it all. The rivalry that has developed between the two clubs is great, but the enmity between Ovechkin and Penguins star Sidney Crosby is all the better.

— Brian Wright