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Syracuse will renew its old Big East rivalry with Georgetown on Saturday in the Carrier Dome. The Orange blew an 18-point lead on Wednesday against a shorthanded Pittsburgh squad and will now play the Hoyas, who have lost four straight games.

Georgetown has struggled in Big East play with a 1-5 record this season, but the team has had some success the last two years against the Orange. GU lost on a Tyus Battle buzzer-beater in the Dome two years ago before beating the Orange by 10 in Washington, D.C., last season. 

Saturday is Syracuse’s (6-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) last of seven nonconference games before moving entirely to conference play next week. 

Here’s what you need to know about Georgetown (3-7, 1-5 Big East) before Saturday’s 7 p.m. game:

All time series

Syracuse leads 51-44

Last time they played

Syracuse traveled to Washington, D.C., last season to take on the Hoyas and left with their fourth nonconference loss and a 5-5 record in a 89-79 defeat. The Orange failed to contain the efficient Georgetown offense as four Hoyas scored more than 14 points in their 89 total points, the highest total they recorded against a high major school last season.

Sophomore guard Mac McClung scored 26 points and center Omer Yurtseven added 19 points as Georgetown built a 12-point halftime lead and held off multiple SU attempts to build a comeback. Neither is back with the Hoyas, and none of the four leading GU scorers from that day are on this year’s Hoyas team.

Syracuse shot 43.8% from 3 in the loss, and Buddy Boeheim scored a team-high 25 points on 7-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc. The Orange had a great offensive shooting performance but still came up well short.

KenPom odds

Syracuse has a 84% chance to win the game, by a projected score of 78-67.

The Georgetown report

In their fourth season under head coach Patrick Ewing, the Hoyas have lost four straight games. Four of their key contributors either graduated or transferred following last season, which was filled with turmoil after multiple players left the program midseason. The Hoyas are still pretty experienced, ranking No. 45 in total roster experience, and they have multiple seniors in Jahvon Blair and Jamorko Pickett who are key contributors on offense.

The Hoyas’ No. 1 issue this season has been turnovers. They don’t create many, ranking 334th in forced turnovers rate. They also turn the ball far too much, with 22% of possessions ending in a turnover. When they are able to avoid turnovers, the Hoyas can be competitive with some of the nation’s top teams. Georgetown led No. 3 Villanova by double digits at half and was competitive down the stretch against No. 14 West Virginia before falling apart in the final moments. To date, the Hoyas are 1-6 in games against KenPom top 100 teams.

While the Hoyas are decent at 3-point shooting, ranking just outside the top 100 in the metric, they are not good offensively on the interior. The Orange may struggle to cope with center Qudus Wahab on the offensive and defensive glass, too. Wahab is an excellent rebounder and was actually recruited closely by SU before choosing the Hoyas. 

How Syracuse beats Georgetown

Syracuse’s defense was more active against the Panthers on Wednesday, generating more deflections and steals. Georgetown is especially vulnerable on defense in transition after they turn the ball over. If Syracuse can turn over the Hoyas and run out, it could solve some of the Orange’s half court offensive struggles when the shots are not falling. 

SU forward Marek Dolezaj said postgame on Wednesday that the Orange need to be more aggressive when shots are not falling. If the Orange start slow from 3, they need to attack the rim more to avoid another bad home loss. Quincy Guerrier will be the primary man fighting Wahab for rebounds, and he’ll need to stay out of foul trouble, especially if Bourama Sidibe is still not available. When Guerrier was out of the game against Pitt, SU really struggled to keep Pitt off the offensive glass.

Player to watch: Donald Carey, guard, No. 13 

The Hoyas only have one regular player shooting above 37% from 3-point range, and that’s senior Donald Carey. The Hoyas are an above average shooting team, and the main reason for that is Carey. He’s made 42.6% of his 3-point attempts, a 20-of-47 season statline. The Orange’s zone will need to know where Carey is, because the risk of losing him could lead to easy 3s for the Hoyas. He’s only attempted 32 2-points, so he will spend most of the game camped beyond the arc.

Stat to know: 11.8%

The percentage of Georgetown’s offensive possessions that end in a steal by the opposing defense is 11.8%, among the worst in the country. They have five players in their main rotation with turnover rates north of 20%. After four different Orange players recorded two steals against Pitt on Wednesday, Saturday could be a chance for the Orange to get out in transition after steals.

Published on January 7, 2021 at 3:10 pm

Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo