By Michael McAllister
Syracuse's biggest rival comes to the Dome Wednesday night for a battle of the 1st and 2nd place teams in the Big East. The Orange come in ranked #2 in the country, while the Hoyas are just outside of the top 10 at #11.
This is a game of contrasting styles. Syracuse likes to get out in transition and a more up-tempo game. The Hoyas run a slower half-court offense that works on efficiency, running clock, and high-percentage shots. Look for the Hoyas to employ a similar strategy as others that have had success against the Orange. Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, West Virginia and others have had success slowing the game down, and crashing the boards. Georgetown will attempt to do the same thing.
The big key will be turnovers. If the Orange can force Georgetown to turn it over, they will be able to get out in transition where they are the best in the country. Easy buckets will lead to a faster paced game, which is exactly what Syracuse wants.
The Hoyas are very good at defending the three-pointer, while Syracuse has struggled shooting it from deep, especially in the last several games. Where Syracuse has an advantage is with their athletic guards penetrating a tough Georgetown defense. The Orange should look to take the ball inside, and not settle for outside jump-shots.
Georgetown is led by 6'2" senior guard Jason Clark, who's averaging 15 points, four rebounds, and nearly two steals per game. He's shooting 50% from the floor, and 35% from beyond the arc. 6'8" forward Hollis Thompson may be their most important player. He's averaging nearly 14 points per game, while grabbing five rebounds. He's also shooting 50% from the floor, but is blistering at over 48% from deep. The Orange must keep an eye on him at all times. If he gets an open look, he will bury it. The only other Hoya in double figures is 6'10" center Henry Sims. He's scoring nearly 12 points per game, with just under six rebounds. Freshman forward Otto Porter is the team's leading rebounder, with nearly seven per game. Sophomore guard Markel Starks is another good shooter for Georgetown, as he's over 41% from three-point range on the season. The Hoyas will play seven or eight guys, but certainly not more than that. They have a good rotation, but lack physicality when they rotate their front-line. Georgetown is a good, not great, rebounding team.
The Orange, despite their struggles from the outside, are one of the better shooting teams in the nation at 48% from the floor (good for 21st in the country). The Hoyas are shooting 47% overall, good for 47th in the nation. Syracuse is 12th in the country at nearly 17 assists per game, while the Hoyas are 102nd in the nation at less than 14 per game. The Orange lead the all-time series 46-40.
Four keys to victory:
1. Get out in transition: Georgetown will try to slow the game down, so the Orange must force tempo. The easiest way to do this is to get out in transition. This does not necessarily mean only by creating turnovers. While that helps, grabbing a rebound and immediately throwing an outlet pass to one of the guards will allow Syracuse to get up the court quickly with numbers.
2. Don't force threes: Syracuse is not a great outside shooting team. Georgetown is very good at defending the outside shot. Those two things don't bode well for the Orange to get out of their shooting slump from beyond the arc. The solution is simple. Take the ball inside, drive, penetrate, and look for easy baskets. Scoop Jardine, Dion Waiters, and Kris Joseph will be critical, as they all the skills and athleticism necessary to penetrate the Georgetown defense.
3. Rebound: Georgetown is not a great rebounding team. Their numbers on the season are similar to Syracuse's. The Orange must limit the Hoyas to one shot on each possession, and prevent a lot of second chance opportunities. With Fab back in the middle, that appeared to improve drastically against St. John's. But was that because of the Orange's massive size advantage? Or a sign that the rebounding is back to normal? Syracuse doesn't have to win the rebounding battle, they just have to not get destroyed on the glass.
4. Be Active in the Zone: The Georgetown offense is efficient and effective. Syracuse's zone must be active, aggressive, and prevent open looks. The length of Syracuse is unlike anything Georgetown will have seen all year, and they must take advantage of that. The zone must close driving lanes, deflect passes, and harass the Hoya guards.
Over 30,000 fans are expected for this game. Students have been camping out for days to try to get the best seats in the student section. The atmosphere will be electric, as this could be the last time Syracuse and Georgetown meet in the Carrier Dome as conference foes.
