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For the second consecutive game, Syracuse faces a former Big East rival and will travel to Georgetown on Saturday. The Orange most recently lost to No. 6 Villanova in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, allowing 27 offensive rebounds as the Wildcats rebounded from 24.3% shooting in the first frame to convert at a 40% clip in the second half.

The Hoyas enter off a 100-71 victory against UMBC, but they haven’t defeated a team inside KenPom’s top 200 this season — with earlier wins against American, Siena and Longwood. A top-75 3-point shooting team, Georgetown returns just 13 points from the 69 it scored in last year’s loss to Syracuse, losing its top four scorers from that team: Jahvon Blair, Qudus Wahab, Jamorko Pickett and Chudier Bile. Four of Georgetown’s current starters still average double-digit points, though.

Here’s what our beat writers think will happen when Syracuse faces the Hoyas.

Andrew Crane (4-5)
Stopping the 3-fallin’
Syracuse 72, Georgetown 66

You would think if Syracuse held No. 6 Villanova to 67 points — its fewest in a game this season — it’d leave Madison Square Garden with a win, right? The fact that it didn’t show how far the Orange still need to go with their offensive balance, even when their defense, which has been a season-long problem, manages to build them a slight lead. If Buddy Boeheim only averages six points per game the rest of the season, SU won’t win many games, but Georgetown, and the two nonconference games after that against Lehigh and Cornell, could present the opportunity Buddy needs to string shots together and find his stroke. Look for Buddy, Cole Swider and Joe Girard III to carry the scoring load and provide relief from the reliance on Jimmy Boeheim and Jesse Edwards inside the arc. 

This is the Syracuse basketball edition of college football’s rivalry week, and the Orange will find a way to make sure they leave with a split of the games.

Roshan Fernandez (5-4)
What rivalry?
Syracuse 82, Georgetown 72

The Hoyas have suffered four losses this season at the hands of Dartmouth, San Diego State, Saint Joseph’s and South Carolina — three of those weren’t close games. Neither Georgetown’s overall offense nor its defense has statistically stood out. The Hoyas do rank 75th in the nation in 3-point percentage, but Syracuse has shown it’s capable and has all the pieces to beat teams better than its former Big East rival. Playing this game on the road certainly doesn’t help the Orange, but they’ve proven they can take care of business away from the Carrier Dome with their Atlantic Coast Conference-opening win over Florida State. 

This win at Georgetown should get Syracuse into a rhythm, and with favorable matchups for the rest of December and even into early January, it could be a while before the Orange lose again — assuming they play the way they’ve shown they can in D.C. on Saturday.

Gaurav Shetty (5-4)
Capital W
Syracuse 81, Georgetown 69

Georgetown may have had Syracuse’s number the last time the Orange made the trip to the nation’s capital, but this season, the Hoyas have not been very good. Losses to Dartmouth, San Diego State and South Carolina were not close. The Orange shot just 5-for-15 from 3 against Villanova, with Buddy shooting 0-for-5. But against Georgetown’s 209th ranked 3-point defense on KenPom, Syracuse should have the opportunity to correct its 3-point shooting. Patrick Ewing’s squad also does not pose much of a scoring threat, as its offensive efficiency ranks outside of the top-100 on KenPom.

All things considered, this game has the potential to be a get-right game for the Orange. A win over Georgetown would help set the tone for Syracuse to go on a small win streak before Virginia comes to the Dome at the start of the new year.

Published on December 8, 2021 at 11:25 pm