:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/5677596/20120225_lbm__ag9_096.jpg)
As the NCAA Basketball regular season winds down, some games will decide which bubble teams slip in the 2012 NCAA Tournament and which don't, and some will help decide the seeds of teams already firmly in the field. Monday night's showdown between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Georgetown Hoyas certainly falls in the latter group, as both teams will enter the game ranked in the top 20 but looking to move up in the tournament pecking order.
The Fighting Irish are 12-4 in the Big East, good for third in the conference, but as the team strives for a top two or three seed, their resumé isn't perfect. Notre Dame holds impressive victories over the Syracuse Orange and Marquette Golden Eagles, but they have two conference losses to non-tournament teams and their non-conference results leaves a bit to be desired. To that end, a road defeat of the Hoyas would give the Irish victories over the three best teams in the Big East besides themselves, and would give them considerable momentum heading into a Big East Tournament that will also determine NCAA Tournament seeding.
Game date/time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
TV: ESPN
Online Streaming: ESPN3
Odds: Georgetown by 6.5
For more on this game, stay with SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Irish, head over to One Foot Down, and for more on the Hoyas, check out Casual Hoya. For news and notes from around the country, stick with SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub.