Syracuse basketball better not sleep on Georgetown this coming January

Syracuse basketball will host those pesky Hoyas on Jan. 9, and the Orange needs to come ready to play.

Syracuse basketball will welcome former Big East Conference rival Georgetown to the Hill in early January, and the Hoyas aren’t expected to do a lot of damage in their league this season following a sub-par outcome in 2019-20.

Last year, Georgetown finished near the bottom of the Big East, compiling a 15-17 overall record that included a first-round loss to St. John’s in the conference’s post-season tournament, an event that got canceled along with everything in the sport, including the 2020 March Madness, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The outlook for the Hoyas in 2020-21 doesn’t look at all great, either. In the recently unveiled Big East pre-season coaches poll, Georgetown is projected to finish No. 11 in the league, which equates to last place in the conference.

The Big East, by the way, has increased its membership from 10 to 11 schools beginning in 2020-21, as Connecticut has rejoined this league.

Syracuse basketball and Georgetown will resume their long-time series this January.

Just because the Hoyas aren’t expected to prove stellar in the upcoming campaign, that doesn’t mean the ‘Cuse should get complacent about this fiery match-up. For me, when Georgetown and Syracuse basketball battle each other, throw the projected records and pre-season prognostications out the window.

Let’s not forget that prior to their contest in Washington, D.C., a stanza ago, it got revealed that multiple Hoyas players who proved key contributors were no longer with the program. That didn’t matter, however, as Georgetown shredded the Orange’s 2-3 zone en route to an 89-79 victory.

The ‘Cuse athletics department recently put out a press release saying that the Hoyas would travel to Central New York for a clash inside the Carrier Dome on Saturday, Jan. 9. The game time has yet to get disclosed.

Overall, Syracuse basketball possesses a 51-44 edge over Georgetown. Amid the pandemic, it’s unclear whether Syracuse University leaders will permit fans to watch this enticing encounter in-person.

Head coach Jim Boeheim and his squad are 2-1 versus the Hoyas since Patrick Ewing, the former Big East and NBA star, took over as Georgetown’s head coach.

This affair will take on an even more poignant meaning, as it will represent the first game between the Hoyas and the Orange since the passing of Georgetown’s legendary head coach, John Thompson Jr., who died at the end of August.