PC’s Sharaud Curry (4) and Randall Hanke double-team Georgetown center Greg Monroe in first half-half action.

MCT / CHUCK MYERS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Friars got their first look at Greg Monroe yesterday and the Georgetown freshman did not disappoint.

Despite passing up numerous shots and not touching the ball enough in the lane, Monroe was clearly the star of the Hoyas’ 82-75 win over Providence. The 6-foot-11 center consistently maneuvered into the teeth of PC’s zone defense and picked the Friars apart with some pinpoint passing. Monroe attempted just seven shots but finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals in 35 busy minutes.

“He’s good, real good. A great passer,” said PC’s Marshon Brooks. “He really killed our zone from the top of the key in the second half.”

The Hoyas have an excellent passing team but are unique because their best passer is Monroe. He flipped scoring feeds from the top of the key, underneath the hoop and everywhere in between.

“I looked and saw he finished with eight assists, but I thought he had about 15,” said Georgetown coach John Thompson III.

Monroe said he grew comfortable slicing into the holes of PC’s zone defense.

“In their defense, it seemed like they weren’t moving much so once we got better movement, I just tried to find my guys,” he said.

Monroe is an excellent building block for any team and is clearly talented enough to be considered a one-and-done college player. The NBA scouts know all about him after he earned high school All-American honors last year in New Orleans.

“They have some great players on their team and he’s near the top of the list,” said PC coach Keno Davis. “To have a player at that size to be that skilled is nice for any coach. You can do a lot of things with him.”

Getting better all the time

Davis has insisted that his team has steadily gotten batter all season and it’s clear that the Friars are playing their best basketball right now.

“We’ve improved a lot,” said Davis. “I was telling people not to take too much away from the Anaheim Classic (back in November). I felt like we improved out there and from that point on we’re clearly playing our best basketball (now). We had a big win at Cincinnati and had a short turnaround for this game which was a concern.”

Davis said he was concerned about his team’s weariness and felt that that showed a bit in the second half. Georgetown took advantage of its five days between games.

“We played all zone in this game,” said Davis. “In a short turnaround, with their intricate offense, I didn’t feel we had enough time to defend it (in man-to-man). We wanted to keep our legs so we stayed in the zone.”

Father knows best

Hall-of-Famer John Thompson was at the game and attended his son’s postgame news conference. John Thompson III says he always talks to his father (who he calls Pops) about his team but usually ends up doing a lot of listening.

PC’s Davis has a similar relationship with his father, former coach Dr. Tom Davis. Thompson said he understands the dynamic of learning from a famous father yet carving out your own legacy as well.

“Keno is someone that as a child is learning things that most people don’t get the opportunity to until they become a graduate assistant or director of basketball operations,” said Thompson. “He is who he is. I don’t think he looks at it like ‘there’s huge pressure on me. I’m Dr. Tom Davis’ child.’ He’s just doing what he’s very good at and what he’s been a part of for his whole life.”

Good news, bad news

The Friars forced 18 turnovers, several due to its scrambling press that got them back in the game down the stretch. Perhaps more importantly, the Friars lost the ball 14 times but several came at critical points of the game. Sharaud Curry and Geoff McDermott had three turnovers apiece. McDermott has 14 turnovers and 11 assists in the four Big East games.

On the positive side, the Friars continue to shoot the ball well from downtown. After burying 12 threes in a win at Cincinnati on Wednesday, PC sank 10 threes in 23 attempts against Georgetown. Brian McKenzie and Jeff Xavier have combined for 10 threes in the two games.

Above the rim

The Friars had a scheduled flight home at 9 p.m. last night but were concerned that the pending snowstorm would hinder their plans. … Georgetown has won 29 of its last 30 home games. The attendance was 12,764. … PC is off for a week and won’t play until Marquette comes to town next Saturday.

kmcnamar@projo.com