We are a long way from the John Thompson II-Jim Boeheim days. No claiming that Manley Field House is “officially closed”. No Pearl Washington sucker punch.
But despite the fact that these two teams now reside in different conferences, the game still means something. “We’ve been rivals for a lot of years and it’s still an important game in my mind,” said head coach Patrick Ewing.
As we head into Saturday’s meeting with an old foe, we do so while honoring and respecting the legacy of Coach John Thompson. pic.twitter.com/fuq103IJSG
— Syracuse Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) January 8, 2021
Both teams are looking to get bad tastes out of their mouths. Georgetown lost another game down the stretch at Butler. It was their fourth loss in a row.
Syracuse is coming off of blowing an 18-point lead at home to Pitt.
What could help Georgetown, is Syracuse’s zone. The Hoyas should be able to exploit the gaps that the zone will present. That will have to start with what the Hoyas have done the worse, turnovers. “You have to do an outstanding job of taking care of the ball,” said Ewing. In the loss to Pitt, Syracuse recorded 12 steals, tying its single-game high on the season.
If the Hoyas can do that, they’ll have a great opportunity to dominate the boards. In Syracuse’s loss to Pitt, the Panthers were able to grab 20 offensive rebounds, converting them for 21 second chance points. Qudus Wahab and Jamorko Pickett should have a field day on the offensive boards.
Georgetown must take care of the ball but they also need to force turnovers so they won’t have to play a high percentage of straight halfcourt possessions. “You want to be able to create turnovers and then get to the other end and score before they get the zone set up,” said Ewing. Pitt forced 13 turnovers, converting them for 10 points.
What will be the greatest challenge for Georgetown is Syracuse’s 4-out-1-high offense. Their ability to pull Wahab out of the lane through that set and high screen and roll will be a challenge for the Hoyas. Syracuse’s Allen Griffin Quincy Guerrier have feasted on all the room below the free throw line. “I think the best player they have might be Griffin,” said Ewing.
If you slump to take the lane away, Griffin along with Buddy Boeheim and Joseph Girard III can make you pay from the three point line.
Notes:
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- Tomorrow night’s game has been moved to 7 pm and will be shown on ESPN
- Georgetown won last year’s matchup 89-79 at Capital One Arena
- Syracuse leads the ACC in scoring (80.8 ppg)
Photo Credit: Rafael Suanes / Georgetown Athletics.
