One of the most storied rivalries in college basketball will add another chapter to its lore when No. 12 Georgetown comes to visit No. 2 Syracuse on Wednesday.
HOYAS PLAYING SHUT DOWN D: In a 72-60 loss against one of the worst teams in the Big East in Pittsburgh, Georgetown had one of its worst defensive performances of the season. The Panthers shot a balmy 52.1 percent from the field, and sliced through the Hoya defense, going to the line 22 times. And this was against one of the worst offensive teams in the country, as the Panthers average just 71.8 points per game (96th in the NCAA) and shoot 46.1 percent from the field (73rd). In the two games since then, the Hoyas have put on a clinic on defense, holding Connecticut and South Florida to 44 and 45 points, respectively. They did that by holding the Huskies to 30 percent shooting from the field and the Bulls to 31.4 percent.
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SCOUTING THE HOYAS: Guard Jason Clark leads Georgetown with 15.2 points per game. But the most interesting matchups will be forward Hollis Thompson (13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds) versus Kris Joseph and center Henry Sims (11.9 points, 5.5 rebounds) on Fab Melo. Both matchups are near statistical coin flips.
IN GEORGETOWN’S LAST GAME: The Hoyas blitzed the Bulls 75-45 as five different Georgetown players scored in double figures. The Hoyas stifled the Bulls, holding them scoreless for 10 minutes while also forcing turnovers on nine consecutive possessions.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: The last time these two teams met, the Orange got 17 points from Scoop Jardine in a 58-51 win against Georgetown in the Verizon Center on Feb. 26, 2010. All time, Syracuse leads the series 47-39.
GAME INFORMATION: Wed, Feb. 8, 7:00 p.m. Syracuse, NY. TV:ESPN. Follow us on Twitter @thejuiceonline for live game updates.
