Syracuse is essentially out of the running for the Big East regular season title. They trail leader Georgetown by two games with only three games left.
Syracuse fell to No. 12 in the latest round of rankings released Monday afternoon. It is the first time they have fallen out of the top 10 since the 2010-11 season.
Longtime practitioners of the 2-3 zone defense, the #8 Orange were befuddled when #11 Georgetown used that tactic to shut them down and leave the Carrier Dome with both a 57-46 victory and sole possession of first place in the Big East.
After 12 minutes of even play, #8 Syracuse blew out Providence over the remaining eight minutes of the first half en route to an 84-59 victory at the Carrier Dome.
The game could have been the classic trap game. Syracuse was, after all, playing a lesser Big East team just days before Georgetown comes to the Carrier Dome before a record crowd.