Wofford-Georgetown Preview

Published Nov. 18, 2010 10:00 p.m. ET

foxsports

Known for producing some of the best big men in college basketball history, Georgetown's success this season could come from the outside.

Coming off a strong perimeter shooting effort, the 20th-ranked Hoyas look to start 4-0 for the second straight season when they face Wofford in the semifinals of the Charleston Classic on Friday night.

The former home of dominant centers like Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning, and most recently Roy Hibbert and Greg Monroe, Georgetown might opt to lean on its talented backcourt trio this season.

Jason Clark had five of the Hoyas' season-high 14 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, while Austin Freeman and Chris Wright each had four 3s as the Hoyas went 14 of 30 from beyond the arc during an 80-61 win over Coastal Carolina on Thursday.

Clark was 8 of 12 from the field, and Freeman went 8 of 10 to finish with 20 points. Wright, who made 4 of 9 shots, had 12 points and a career-high 12 assists.

"We have guys across the board in that locker room who can make open shots,'' Hoyas coach John Thompson III said.

The trio gained experience starting all but two games together last season when they focused on getting the ball inside to the 6-foot-11 Monroe, a first-round pick of the Detroit Pistons in June.

Freeman, who averaged 16.5 points as a junior last season, has scored 60 on 23-of-36 shooting in three games. Clark has averaged 19.0 points on 21-of-36 shooting.

"It just shows we have so many scorers,'' said Wright, who has 20 assists the last two contests.

Georgetown, which shot 38.7 percent from 3-point range in 2009-10, is 26 of 59 from long distance the last two games.

The only ranked team in the tournament field, Georgetown made 8 of 12 from beyond the arc and opened a 30-18 lead with six minutes left in the first half to take control Thursday.

"You're looking at a potential Final Four-type team because they've got four good shooters,'' Coastal Carolina coach Cliff Ellis said.

The Hoyas hope that success from the outside continues when they face Wofford (1-2) for the first time.

The Terriers return five of their top six scorers from last season's squad that recorded a school-record 26 wins and won the Southern Conference. After opening the season with losses at Minnesota and Clemson, Wofford beat South Carolina-Upstate 79-61 on Thursday.

Jamar Diggs had 18 points and Noah Dahlman added 17 as Wofford led by 23 at the half and shot 57.1 percent from the game.

Dahlman averaged a team-leading 16.6 points as a junior, and 16.3 through this season.

Though Wofford has not shied away from playing some of the top schools in the nation, the Terriers are 0-14 against Top 25 opponents since the start of the 1996-97 season.