They may not reside in the same league these days, and haven't for more than a decade, but to me, Syracuse basketball versus Georgetown still means a ton. Maybe it's because I've been a fan of the Orange since the 1980s and attended SU from 1996 to 2000, when the 'Cuse still belonged to the Big East Conference.
However, even since Syracuse basketball bolted the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 2013-14 campaign, the 'Cuse and the Hoyas have gone toe to toe on the court a bunch of times, which I love, and which I hope will continue for many years to come.
On Saturday, Georgetown will travel to the Hill for the 100th encounter between the Hoyas and the Orange, a storied rivalry that doesn't carry the same weight as it did decades ago but is still a lot of fun to watch.
100 hours until the 100th meeting between @Cuse_MBB and Georgetown!
— Syracuse Athletics (@Cuse) December 10, 2024
Countdown to tipoff is presented by @dunkindonuts pic.twitter.com/5JcCvQpXl9
Per SU Athletics, Syracuse basketball is 54-45 versus Georgetown, and they've played in each of the last nine stanzas, with the 'Cuse landing five triumphs amid the squads being non-conference opponents. Most recently, in the 2023-24 term, the Orange knocked off the Hoyas in Washington, D.C., by a final count of 80-68.
How to watch Syracuse basketball collide with Georgetown at home.
The 'Cuse and the Hoyas will face off this Saturday, Dec. 14, at the JMA Wireless Dome, with the tip-off scheduled for 2:30 pm and television coverage on the ACC Network.
Earlier this week, in Central New York, the Orange (5-4 overall) halted a two-game skid by defeating fellow Empire State team Albany, 102-85, with freshman power forward Donnie Freeman leading the 'Cuse offensive charge.
Georgetown, much like Syracuse basketball's Adrian Autry, is led by a second-year head coach in Ed Cooley, the former boss of another Big East squad, Providence. Ahead of the 2024-25 campaign getting underway, the Big East's preseason coaches poll forecast the Hoyas to finish at No. 9 in the conference's standings this term.
To date, Georgetown (7-2 overall) has proven fairly solid, albeit against not-so-brutal competition. The Hoyas have wins over Lehigh, Fairfield, Mount St. Mary's, Saint Francis University, Wagner, Albany and UMBC, while Georgetown has fallen to Notre Dame and West Virginia.
Georgetown's 2024-25 roster includes a quartet of former Syracuse basketball recruiting targets. They are big men Thomas Sorber and Drew Fielder, along with guards/wings Caleb Williams and Kayvaun Mulready.
Sorber, a freshman, is off to a stellar start to his Hoyas' career, as he is currently averaging a team-high 15.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.7 blocks per contest while hitting on 59.0 percent from the field.
At this juncture, the Orange is averaging 80.2 points per affair while allowing 80.0 points. Georgetown, on the other hand, is scoring 76.7 points per game while giving up 64.2 points.
The squads are fairly even on the boards and in assists per contest, while the Hoyas have a sizable edge in steals and free-throw shooting percentage. The charity stripe could prove key, as against Albany, the 'Cuse offense was focused on attacking the rim and scoring in the paint.
Beyond the arc, both Georgetown and Syracuse basketball are shooting under 30 percent so far in 2024-25, but the Orange did fare better from 3-point land versus the Great Danes.
When I wrote this column on Thursday evening, the 'Cuse had an NCAA NET ranking of No. 139 overall, while the Hoyas arrived at No. 99 nationwide, making this a quadrant-three game for the Orange.
Needless to say, for Syracuse basketball to begin building some important momentum, the 'Cuse has to handle the Hoyas at home.