Syracuse basketball will look to regroup versus Georgetown on Saturday night.
One of the best rivalries in all of collegiate hoops will put forth the latest chapter in its storied history on Saturday evening when Syracuse basketball welcomes former Big East Conference nemesis Georgetown to the Hill.
The Hoyas (3-7) have dropped four in a row, while the Orange (6-2) lost for the first time at the Carrier Dome during the 2020-21 campaign this past Wednesday to Pittsburgh in embarrassing fashion.
Its meeting with Georgetown should wrap up non-conference competition for the ‘Cuse in the present term, and it would be a nice thing for the Syracuse basketball resume to knock off the Hoyas and go 6-1 in non-league play, with the Orange’s only blemish on the road to a top-25 Rutgers squad.
Frankly, though, the ‘Cuse wants to avoid any further bad losses. No disrespect to the Panthers, but Pitt was minus four players on Wednesday, including its top guy, and Syracuse basketball still found a way to cough up an 18-point advantage in falling by three points.
As of games on Jan. 6, Georgetown had a NET ranking of No. 160, which means that if the Orange got beat by the Hoyas in Central New York, that would prove a bummer as the ‘Cuse hopes to earn an invite to the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Despite its sub-par record, Georgetown has held leads in several of its setbacks, so Syracuse basketball better not sleep on the Hoyas. Make no mistake about it, head coach Patrick Ewing, who starred for Georgetown in the 1980s, will have his team ready to go at the Dome.
Here are some facets that Syracuse basketball should focus on against Georgetown.
If the Orange, with a NET of No. 34 as of Jan. 6, continues to struggle from 3-point land, then the ‘Cuse has to manufacture scoring via other routes.
First and foremost, rather than settling for contested 3-point attempts, the team could hone in on paint touches and crisp ball movement. That may bring some welcomed interior scoring, as well as trips to the charity stripe, where Syracuse basketball is connecting on 77.6 percent.
Points off of turnovers are also vital for the Orange. The Hoyas are committing 16.2 miscues per affair, which is a sizable number, and the ‘Cuse has to take advantage of this by forcing Georgetown into mistakes and scoring out in transition.
From beyond the arc, the Hoyas aren’t stellar, but they’re credible, hitting on 35.5 percent. About a year ago, in Washington, D.C., Georgetown torched the Orange 2-3 zone from downtown as part of an 89-79 triumph, and Syracuse basketball defenders will have to do a better job of guarding the perimeter.
Earlier this week, Pittsburgh crushed the ‘Cuse in the rebounding department, winning this battle by 16 overall and 11 on the offensive glass.
Like the Panthers, the Hoyas are typically a physical group, and the Orange is going to be in trouble if it gets smoked on the boards again, because it will provide Georgetown with ample opportunities for second-chance points.
Syracuse basketball and the Hoyas have a scheduled 7 pm tip-off, with ESPN airing this bout. All-time, the ‘Cuse is 51-44 versus Georgetown, per orangehoops.org.
The Orange is a heavy favorite, with ESPN’s Basketball Power Index saying that the ‘Cuse possesses roughly an 87 percent chance to prevail.
However, when Syracuse basketball and the Hoyas go toe to toe, my sentiment is that the odds don’t mean much at all.