With seven conference games down and 11 to go, the Marquette men's basketball team has done its best to disprove the naysayers.

Early in the season, questions arose about whether the Golden Eagles could hold an opponent under 60 points.

The team then beat Wisconsin, 61-58.

Then critics asked whether the Golden Eagles could hang with more talented teams, and they answered by taking down then-No. 15-ranked Villanova.

When Marquette followed that win with another against Cincinnati, the questions changed to whether or not the Golden Eagles could beat an opponent when they aren't nailing 3-pointers. The team then defeated Rutgers despite hitting just 2-of-13 from deep.

Still, detractors said Marquette couldn't win away from the comforts of the Bradley Center, and the team responded by taking down Providence on the road.

Finally, critics asked to see how the team would fair against a team with a true big man. The answer from a statistical standpoint was unimpressive — Luke Harangody torched the Golden Eagles for 29 points and 17 rebounds. But somehow, Marquette still came out on top.

In fact, with its 71-64 win over Notre Dame Monday, the team dispelled all of the above questions. Road win? Check. Defensive victory over a talented team? Double check. Overcoming shooting struggles? Marquette hit just 5-of-22 3-pointers. Check. Handling size problems? Harangody weighs in at 6-foot-8, 251 pounds. Check.

Now that the Golden Eagles have answered those questions, there is one more: Can they do it again?

The match-up

Georgetown (12-7, 3-5 Big East) was billed as one of the major contenders for the Big East title entering the season. And while the Hoyas have now lost four straight contests and six out of its last eight, they are not to be taken lightly.

On paper, the Hoyas appear to have an answer for all those previously raised questions. Their defense is holding teams to 62.6 points per game (sixth-best in the Big East), 38.9 percent from the field (fifth-best) and 29.9 percent from 3-point range (fourth-best).

They also boast a legitimate post threat in Greg Monroe. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound freshman is averaging 13.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game.

"Greg obviously plays an important role for us," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "He's picked up and adjusted and adapted…very fast."

The X-factor

Much has been made about forward Lazar Hayward's ability to force mismatches for opposing defenses. The junior has the athleticism to mix it up inside with the big men and the range to draw his man outside.

"He's kind of a mismatch nightmare," DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright said. "It's great to be in a five-card game when you're the only guy at the table with seven cards. You got a lot of options…and guys like Lazar do that."

With Marquette's lack of size, Hayward will likely find himself against Monroe for the majority of the game, so he will need to find a way to provide the Golden Eagles with rebounding despite his height disadvantage.

The other match-up

Unfortunately for Marquette, Georgetown has its own Lazar Hayward in junior forward DaJuan Summers.

Summers presents the Hoyas with the same mismatches Hayward usually provides for Marquette. And since Hayward will be preoccupied with Monroe, stopping Summers will be left up primarily up to Wesley Matthews.

"We're thankful for what (Matthews has) done in a lot of different ways, because of our size deficiency, he's allowed us to be in some games that we probably shouldn't deserve to be in," coach Buzz Williams said.