As much as Feb. 23's "game to end all games" ended in the Carrier Dome, Georgetown and Syracuse's grand finale is not the end of the road for either team, but an important test en route to the Big East tournament and the NCAA tournament both will be invited to in nine days. Both teams have been tested in different ways since they last met, and both aim to return to the level that saw each school rise to the top echelons of college basketball.
Syracuse is coming off an otherwise expected thrashing of DePaul to break a three game losing streak begun in its 57-46 loss to Georgetown. Subsequent losses to Marquette and Louisville exposed the Orangemen as weaker on the perimeter than they had been, inconsistent getting the ball inside, and vulnerable to zone defenses. Brandon Triche has taken on the moniker once given to Georgetown forward Brandon Bowman--when it's "good Brandon", the Orangemen are tough, when it's "bad Brandon", Syracuse is beatable.
Wednesday's loss to Villanova may be a mere bump in the road--after all, Georgetown wasn't likely to win 21 in a row to make it to the Final Four. But the loss did point out some areas of concern that have lingered throughout the 11 game streak--a propensity for giving up turnovers, inconsistency getting the ball inside, and a vulnerability to tight defensive sets. When Markel Starks is on, Georgetown is similarly tough to beat. Wednesday, Starks' foul trouble kept the Hoyas from taking the game over late.
Syracuse is playing for the possibility of a four seed in the Big East tournament moreso than to avenge the Feb. 23 loss. Georgetown is playing for a regular season title and for its first regular sweep over Syracuse since the 2001-02 season.
For everyone else, they are playing for the final word in what (was) the greatest rivalry in Eastern basketball.
The matchups remain much the same as they were two weeks ago:
Markel Starks (GU) vs. Michael Carter-Williams (Syr). Both players struggled from the field in the Feb. 23 game. Starks turned in a icy 2 for 11 shooting performance, 1 for 8 from outside, while Carter-Williams finished with six points and five of the Orangemen's eight assists. MCW remains the "go-from" man to set up the Syracuse attack and his shooting has picked up over the last three games, with double figure efforts that have taken some (but not all) of the pressure off Brandon Triche. Starks knows that he needs a big game on both sides of the ball Saturday and avoiding early fouls is a prerequisite, as Carter-Williams will be expected to pick up the defensive intensity on the ball.
Jabril Trawick (GU) vs. Brandon Triche (Syr). Otto Porter was the star of the Feb. 23 game but Trawick's defensive stops, particularly on on Brandon Triche, did not go unnoticed. Triche was not a factor in a second half where the game got away from the Orangemen, and Triche will be looking to turn around a shooting slump over the last four games, where he is a combined 1 for 15 from three point range and 14 for 42 overall. Triche will take the outside shot, and it's up to Trawick to defend him, knowing that his defensive work is more valuable to the Hoyas than his offensive work.
Otto Porter (GU) vs. C.J. Fair (Syr). Round one went to Porter, with a remarkable 33 point effort that was the most in this series by any Georgetown player and the highest percentage of points in a game by one player (57.9%) in Georgetown history. Fair will make sure that doesn't happen again. For his part, the Syracuse forward has picked up the pace in his last three games, averaging 18 points and seven rebounds a game; Fair was limited to 13 and 7 in the Feb. 22 game. A 79 percent foul shooter, Fair is just one for his last five at the line. Porter's goals are to continue to find the good shot and continue to get points at the line, where Georgetown often trails its opponents, none moreso than at Villanova.
Nate Lubick (GU) vs. James Southerland (Syr). With limited production coming from forward Jerami Grant (4.6 ppg, 0-3 vs. DePaul), Jim Boeheim started Southerland for the first time against DePaul, to mixed results. Southerland finished with 22 points, mostly off an 11-11 run from the free throw line, but was 1 for 10 from outside. Southerland presents matchup problems with Lubick, who will need to be more mobile defensively and limit Southerland's open looks. Offensively, Lubick was 2 for 7 in the Feb. 23 game and must be more confident taking second half shots, if only to keep the defenders from sagging off Lubick in favor of Porter.
Mikael Hopkins (GU) vs. Rakeem Christmas (Syr). Neither Hopkins nor Christmas contributed much offensively in the last game (two points each) but Christmas was more effective on the boards (8 to 1). If Hopkins is to avoid a sedentary second half watching Moses Ayegba, he must be stronger inside and stay away from inside fakes and fouls. Like Lubick, he must be a more credible offensive option to avoid limiting Georgetown to relying on guards as its sole source of offense.
Georgetown bench vs. Syracuse bench. Excepting Southerland, the Syracuse bench was 0-3 versus Georgetown, GU was 1-10. D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera was 1 for 8 and needs to be an offensive force in this game. Fortunately for Georgetown, he can be. Look for Moses Ayegba to get playing time, although he won't be the mystery that he was to Syracuse in the opener.
Let's revisit the keys to the Feb. 23 game as they apply this weekend:
Assists and Turnovers: Syracuse has fallen from first to ninth in assists over the past two weeks, and from first to third in assist to turnover ratio. Georgetown's defense must be up to the task and the turnover number for Georgetown (just 12 in the last game) is a bellwether.
Free Throws: Georgetown owned a +4 versus Syracuse but with Villanova...umm, better left unsaid. A home court environment needs to favor Georgetown.
Fouls: On Feb. 22, we noted that "Neither team can afford foul trouble, but a quick whistle hurts Georgetown must more severely." It still applies.
Stephen Domingo: Two weeks ago, we held out furtive hope that Domingo, a freshman forward, could be be called upon to play a role. At this point, it's unlikely. Domingo, Bradley Hayes, and Brandon Bolden are non-factors and have been all year. They will likely end the regular season as the first scholarship players since Jason Burns (1999-00) to go scoreless throughout Big East play.
The Sixth Man: A last, best opportunity for Georgetown fans to give it their all. This one can be one to remember with their support. And it will be.
Syracuse is coming off an otherwise expected thrashing of DePaul to break a three game losing streak begun in its 57-46 loss to Georgetown. Subsequent losses to Marquette and Louisville exposed the Orangemen as weaker on the perimeter than they had been, inconsistent getting the ball inside, and vulnerable to zone defenses. Brandon Triche has taken on the moniker once given to Georgetown forward Brandon Bowman--when it's "good Brandon", the Orangemen are tough, when it's "bad Brandon", Syracuse is beatable.
Wednesday's loss to Villanova may be a mere bump in the road--after all, Georgetown wasn't likely to win 21 in a row to make it to the Final Four. But the loss did point out some areas of concern that have lingered throughout the 11 game streak--a propensity for giving up turnovers, inconsistency getting the ball inside, and a vulnerability to tight defensive sets. When Markel Starks is on, Georgetown is similarly tough to beat. Wednesday, Starks' foul trouble kept the Hoyas from taking the game over late.
Syracuse is playing for the possibility of a four seed in the Big East tournament moreso than to avenge the Feb. 23 loss. Georgetown is playing for a regular season title and for its first regular sweep over Syracuse since the 2001-02 season.
For everyone else, they are playing for the final word in what (was) the greatest rivalry in Eastern basketball.
The matchups remain much the same as they were two weeks ago:
Markel Starks (GU) vs. Michael Carter-Williams (Syr). Both players struggled from the field in the Feb. 23 game. Starks turned in a icy 2 for 11 shooting performance, 1 for 8 from outside, while Carter-Williams finished with six points and five of the Orangemen's eight assists. MCW remains the "go-from" man to set up the Syracuse attack and his shooting has picked up over the last three games, with double figure efforts that have taken some (but not all) of the pressure off Brandon Triche. Starks knows that he needs a big game on both sides of the ball Saturday and avoiding early fouls is a prerequisite, as Carter-Williams will be expected to pick up the defensive intensity on the ball.
Jabril Trawick (GU) vs. Brandon Triche (Syr). Otto Porter was the star of the Feb. 23 game but Trawick's defensive stops, particularly on on Brandon Triche, did not go unnoticed. Triche was not a factor in a second half where the game got away from the Orangemen, and Triche will be looking to turn around a shooting slump over the last four games, where he is a combined 1 for 15 from three point range and 14 for 42 overall. Triche will take the outside shot, and it's up to Trawick to defend him, knowing that his defensive work is more valuable to the Hoyas than his offensive work.
Otto Porter (GU) vs. C.J. Fair (Syr). Round one went to Porter, with a remarkable 33 point effort that was the most in this series by any Georgetown player and the highest percentage of points in a game by one player (57.9%) in Georgetown history. Fair will make sure that doesn't happen again. For his part, the Syracuse forward has picked up the pace in his last three games, averaging 18 points and seven rebounds a game; Fair was limited to 13 and 7 in the Feb. 22 game. A 79 percent foul shooter, Fair is just one for his last five at the line. Porter's goals are to continue to find the good shot and continue to get points at the line, where Georgetown often trails its opponents, none moreso than at Villanova.
Nate Lubick (GU) vs. James Southerland (Syr). With limited production coming from forward Jerami Grant (4.6 ppg, 0-3 vs. DePaul), Jim Boeheim started Southerland for the first time against DePaul, to mixed results. Southerland finished with 22 points, mostly off an 11-11 run from the free throw line, but was 1 for 10 from outside. Southerland presents matchup problems with Lubick, who will need to be more mobile defensively and limit Southerland's open looks. Offensively, Lubick was 2 for 7 in the Feb. 23 game and must be more confident taking second half shots, if only to keep the defenders from sagging off Lubick in favor of Porter.
Mikael Hopkins (GU) vs. Rakeem Christmas (Syr). Neither Hopkins nor Christmas contributed much offensively in the last game (two points each) but Christmas was more effective on the boards (8 to 1). If Hopkins is to avoid a sedentary second half watching Moses Ayegba, he must be stronger inside and stay away from inside fakes and fouls. Like Lubick, he must be a more credible offensive option to avoid limiting Georgetown to relying on guards as its sole source of offense.
Georgetown bench vs. Syracuse bench. Excepting Southerland, the Syracuse bench was 0-3 versus Georgetown, GU was 1-10. D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera was 1 for 8 and needs to be an offensive force in this game. Fortunately for Georgetown, he can be. Look for Moses Ayegba to get playing time, although he won't be the mystery that he was to Syracuse in the opener.
Let's revisit the keys to the Feb. 23 game as they apply this weekend:
Assists and Turnovers: Syracuse has fallen from first to ninth in assists over the past two weeks, and from first to third in assist to turnover ratio. Georgetown's defense must be up to the task and the turnover number for Georgetown (just 12 in the last game) is a bellwether.
Free Throws: Georgetown owned a +4 versus Syracuse but with Villanova...umm, better left unsaid. A home court environment needs to favor Georgetown.
Fouls: On Feb. 22, we noted that "Neither team can afford foul trouble, but a quick whistle hurts Georgetown must more severely." It still applies.
Stephen Domingo: Two weeks ago, we held out furtive hope that Domingo, a freshman forward, could be be called upon to play a role. At this point, it's unlikely. Domingo, Bradley Hayes, and Brandon Bolden are non-factors and have been all year. They will likely end the regular season as the first scholarship players since Jason Burns (1999-00) to go scoreless throughout Big East play.
The Sixth Man: A last, best opportunity for Georgetown fans to give it their all. This one can be one to remember with their support. And it will be.
