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For the 100th time, Syracuse takes on Georgetown. The storied rivalry gets another chapter Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange and Hoyas have struggled in recent years, with two combined NCAA Tournament appearances in four years, but the rivalry still remains a fixture.

Syracuse is coming off a 102-85 win over UAlbany, breaking a two-game losing streak. Meanwhile, Georgetown suffered just its second loss of the season, falling 73-60 to West Virginia. The Hoyas are in their second season under head coach Ed Cooley, who took over in March 2023. Cooley has tried to revive the program, which went 13-50 combined in the two seasons before he took over.

Here’s everything to know about Georgetown (7-2, 0-0 Big East) ahead of its centennial matchup with Syracuse (5-4, 0-1 Atlantic Coast):

All-time series

Syracuse leads 54-45.

Last time they played …

Syracuse defeated Georgetown 80-68 on Dec. 9, 2023, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The Orange trailed by one early in the second half but shot 18-of-30 from the field after the break, while the Hoyas were 12-of-30. SU’s strong shooting allowed it to lead for the final 17:41 en route to its 12-point win.

Syracuse’s guards led the way, with the trio of J.J. Starling, Judah Mintz and Quadir Copeland combining for 60 points. Mintz (25 points) dealt with foul trouble in the second half but went 13-of-15 from the free-throw line. Starling knocked down all three of his 3-pointers, while Copeland set a then-career high and capped off the night with a highlight-reel dunk.

KenPom Odds

Syracuse has a 57% chance to win, with a projected score of 78-76.

The Hoyas report

In Cooley’s first season in charge, Georgetown went 9-23 and finished 2-18 in the Big East. The only team with a worse conference record was DePaul, which went 0-20. In the offseason, Cooley completely rebuilt Georgetown’s roster. The Hoyas lost six of their top eight scorers from last season, while Jayden Epps was the only returning starter.

Through eight games, Epps is Georgetown’s second-leading scorer at 14.2 points per game. In the transfer portal, Cooley brought in Micah Peavy from TCU and Ivy League Rookie of the Year Malik Mack from Harvard. Both Peavy and Mack are averaging around 13 points per game and shooting 39% from 3.

Outside of that duo, no Georgetown player is shooting above 33%. As a team, the Hoyas are knocking down 29.2% of their looks from beyond the arc, which is 304th in the country, per KenPom. The Hoyas primarily attack inside, getting 57.4% of their points from 2-point range, which ranks 21st in the country, per KenPom, but are also shooting 56% from inside the arc.

Cole Ross | Digital Design Director

How Syracuse beats Georgetown

Even though Syracuse had its best offensive outing of the season against UAlbany, it was dreadful on defense. SU allowed 51 second-half points to the Great Danes, who went 19-of-38 from the field.

If Syracuse wants to beat Georgetown, it needs to play tighter defense. According to KenPom, the Orange currently rank 167th in defensive efficiency, which is around the middle of the pack. Georgetown shouldn’t present many problems with an offensive rating of 108.7 — the 120th-best in the country — but the Orange haven’t displayed any sort of lockdown defense so far.

On the other end, Syracuse has to continue to play through Donnie Freeman. The freshman has looked more comfortable in the last few weeks, recording at least 20 points in two of SU’s last three contests. Freeman finished with a career-high 24 against UAlbany alongside a career-high four 3s. The forward is starting to show that SU can rely on him more.

With Starling still out, SU’s frontcourt needs to pick up more of the scoring burden. Freeman and Jyáre Davis, who’s coming off two straight double-digit outings, will be key to victory.

Stat to know: 5.3%

Syracuse is one of the worst teams at creating steals in the country. It has a steal rate of 5.3%, which ranks 357th in the country, meaning only seven teams steal the ball fewer. The Orange’s season-high in steals is seven, accomplished in their season-opener against Le Moyne. Since then, they’ve only had more than five steals twice.

Player to watch: Thomas Sorber, center, No. 35

Sorber may be a freshman, but he hasn’t played like it so far. Through nine games, he leads the Hoyas in scoring (15.4 points), rebounding (8.3 rebounds) and blocks (15) while shooting 59% from the field. Sorber is a physically imposing presence in the paint, standing at 6-feet-10, 255 pounds, but he’s also drilled four 3-pointers on the season.

The center’s consistency has been key, finishing in double figures in seven of Georgetown’s nine games this season. Sorber’s performances have skyrocketed him up NBA Draft boards. In Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft, Sorber was projected to go No. 18 overall. The freshman will be a handful for the Orange to handle Saturday.

Published on December 12, 2024 at 12:09 am

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22