Improvements beginning to appear

Updated: January 6, 2007, 10:06 AM ET

By Jay Bilas | ESPN.com

Here are some things to think about and watch for as you settle into the games this weekend:

With some injuries and players missing practice time, Georgetown got off to a spotty start relative to our expectations. Well, the Hoyas might not be great, but they are good and getting better. Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green are key players, and must be more aggressive, but having good guard play is vital for Georgetown taking the next step. Jonathan Wallace is one of the most efficient guards in the Big East, and he does not get the credit he deserves as being a really reliable shooter and pressure defender. Young guards Jessie Sapp, DaJuan Summers, Tyler "Bam Bam" Crawford and Jeremiah Rivers are starting to come along, and all are healthy now. Sapp is a really good passer on the move; Summers cuts really hard and posts; and Crawford plays physical and really goes after it. Marc Egerson, who drives it harder than anyone on the squad, has withdrawn from school, which will hurt, but the Hoyas have enough to compensate for his absence. Georgetown has balanced scoring, and you really cannot tell which Hoya will have a big game going in. On Big Monday, when the Hoyas take on Villanova, watch how Georgetown runs its precision offense. The Hoyas do a great job of cutting hard, and filling behind, and they usually follow a cutter with another cutter, making it really tough on a defense. When Georgetown is hitting shots, it is really tough to beat. Plus, Georgetown is going to get better at the guard spot with JT3's recruiting class next year. DeMatha guard Austin Freeman, a 6-4 Adrian Dantley-type player, and Washington (D.C.) St. John's guard Chris Wright, a pure shooter, will give Georgetown a major talent boost in the backcourt. Freeman was my favorite player from the Nike All-American camp this summer, and he understands how to play.

• Big improvement: One of the most improved big men in the country has to be Kentucky's Randolph Morris. The junior, who declared for the NBA draft last year and went undrafted, has been really consistent at a high level. Morris is averaging 17 points per game and 8 rebounds, and shoots 61 percent from the floor while facing even more defensive attention. Morris has had only a couple of rough outings, against Louisville and against Memphis in Maui. It will never happen, but Morris is an NBA free agent right now. Because he went through the draft and went undrafted, he was permitted to return to school. If an NBA team wanted him, it could sign him in the middle of the college season. The NBA would never do that, because the backlash would be immense, but if a player in Morris' situation were to blow up and become a great prospect, it would be tough to lay off of him.

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider