BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: HOYA, ORANGE RIVALRY RENEWED

January 14, 2009


A classic rivalry in the Big East is renewed tonight at the Verizon Center for a national audience as Syracuse puts their top-ten ranking on the line against rival Georgetown.

Syracuse is 4-0 in Big East play and 16-1 on the season. Their lone loss came at the hands of Cleveland State when Cedric Jackson banked in a 60-footer at the buzzer to break a tie score.

Georgetown is 2-2 in Big East play, 11-3 overall, and are trying to find their footing in the Big East. The Hoyas finally got some bench support in their win over Providence this weekend, something they will need dearly to be consistent in the Big East.


Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's game from the web this morning:

Hoyas Seek a Solution for Syracuse (Washington Times)
Kris Joseph Does Not Expect a Hoya Welcome Mat (Syracuse Post-Standard)
Orange Ready to crank it Up (Post-Standard
Cold Shooting Hoyas Prepare for Red Hot Orange (Washington Post)
Scouting Report: SU vs. Georgetown (Post-Standard)
Syracuse Players Aware of History in Nation’s Capitol (Post-Standard)

The talent on these two teams, at least in their starting line-ups, are pretty evenly matched. Syracuse has some more experience and strength, while Georgetown has some more potential and athleticism. Syracuse has a bench that has been more productive, and having Eric Devendorf available to come off their bench is a big boost for the Orange and is nothing the Hoyas can counter with.

The Hoyas return just three players (Austin Freeman, Jesse Sapp and DaJuan Summers) who saw significant time in the Big East regular season last year. New starting point guard Chris Wright missed most of the season with a foot injury and Greg Monroe, a freshman, round out the starting line-up for John Thompson III. The Hoyas are definitely top-loaded in talent and their group has as much potential as any starting line-up in the conference. However, growing pains have been evident as the Princeton-style offense is definitely not flowing as naturally as it has in the past in Big East play.

Georgetown flashed their high potential in their conference-opening win at UConn, but were quickly dragged back to earth with a thud when Pittsburgh smacked them around on this very floor.

Syracuse has some size and strength that is similar to Pitt with Arinze Onuaku and Paul Harris in their line-up. Jonny Flynn is the engine of the Orange attack and Andy Rautins adds the missing perimeter ingredient that they did not have last year. The progression of Rick Jackson has also made the backline of the SU zone much more formidable and allows a bigger line-up to be on the court for most of the game. When SU struggled at USF in the second half, it was largely due to the absence of Paul Harris, forcing Rauitins or Eric Devendorf to have to play on the backline of the zone, which USF exploited on the boards or attacking the baseline offensively.

This game also represents a pretty big step-up in Big East competition for the Orange. While Georgetown has survived a schedule of at UConn, vs Pitt, at Notre Dame and vs PC (12-4 in conference play), SU has mowed down Seton Hall, USF, DePaul and Rutgers (combined 1-14 in league play).

While this SU team definitely looks like a group that will make some noise in March and remain amongst the top of the Big East, it will be interesting to see how ready they are for this game. The college basketball betting odds show Georgetown as a 6 1/2-point favorite, which seems high, they should be able to hold on for a win in this one as it might take SU a little while to find their footing in this type of Big East match-up.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 67
Syracuse 63