Syracuse/Georgetown Preview
By: WROC-TV
Updated: February 18, 2010
The 5th ranked Syracuse Orange have yet to lose away from home and they will put their perfect road mark on the line tonight against the 10th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas in a Big East showdown at the Verizon Center.
The Orange enter the contest seeking a rebound of just its second loss of the campaign, a 66-60 setback against Louisville on Sunday. The defeat ended a run of 11-straight wins that dated back to an 82-72 loss to Pittsburgh on January 2nd.
Still, Syracuse is a healthy 24-2 overall and tied with Villanova for the top spot in the Big East standings at 11-2. Furthermore, the Orange are a perfect 5-0 against ranked foes this season, and the team is also a perfect 9-0 in games played away from home.
The Hoyas meanwhile, are also coming off a loss, although their result was much more shocking, a 71-68 defeat at Rutgers on Sunday. Georgetown, which defeated Rutgers by 28 points in the first meeting, had a two-game win streak snapped with the surprising loss. Now at 18-6 overall, the Hoyas return back home, where they are 11-2, including 5-1 in league play.
As for the all-time series, Syracuse owns a 45-37 advantage over Georgetown following a 73-56 triumph in the first meeting of the season on January 25th. The Hoyas however, have won the last three encounters with the Orange at the Verizon Center.
The Orange, shooting an impressive 52.2 percent from the floor for the season, made just 41.4% of their field goals in Sunday's six-point loss to Louisville. Wes Johnson hit just 5-of-20 buckets from the field, but he still paced Syracuse with 14 points and eight rebounds in the losing cause. The Iowa State transfer has been as good as advertised this season and he leads Syracuse in scoring (16.0 ppg) as well as rebounding (8.8 rpg). Kris Joseph, coming off the bench, has moved his way up to second in scoring at 11.3 ppg and he also pulls in 5.3 rpg. Andy Rautins adds 10.7 ppg and 4.7 apg to the mix, while Arinze Onuaku contributes 10.3 ppg and 4.8 rpg.
The Hoyas coughed up the ball 14 times and those turnovers proved costly, as Rutgers scored 18 points off them in a stunning 71-68 result on Sunday. Georgetown shot a solid 50.9 percent from the floor to help compensate, but it went just 4-of-13 from downtown and was outscored, 12-6, at the foul line. Greg Monroe guided the team in defeat with an all-around effort of 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four blocks. Austin Freeman tallied 17 points and five boards, and Hollis Thompson chipped in with 10 points. On the season, Freeman tops the roster in scoring at 16.8 ppg and he is a 47.9 percent three-point shooter. Monroe nearly averages a double-double with 15.5 ppg and team-high 9.5 rpg and he also dishes out 3.7 apg. Chris Wright tacks on 14.2 ppg and a team-best 3.9 apg for the Hoyas, while Jason Clark chips in with 10.8 ppg.
The Orange enter the contest seeking a rebound of just its second loss of the campaign, a 66-60 setback against Louisville on Sunday. The defeat ended a run of 11-straight wins that dated back to an 82-72 loss to Pittsburgh on January 2nd.
Still, Syracuse is a healthy 24-2 overall and tied with Villanova for the top spot in the Big East standings at 11-2. Furthermore, the Orange are a perfect 5-0 against ranked foes this season, and the team is also a perfect 9-0 in games played away from home.
The Hoyas meanwhile, are also coming off a loss, although their result was much more shocking, a 71-68 defeat at Rutgers on Sunday. Georgetown, which defeated Rutgers by 28 points in the first meeting, had a two-game win streak snapped with the surprising loss. Now at 18-6 overall, the Hoyas return back home, where they are 11-2, including 5-1 in league play.
As for the all-time series, Syracuse owns a 45-37 advantage over Georgetown following a 73-56 triumph in the first meeting of the season on January 25th. The Hoyas however, have won the last three encounters with the Orange at the Verizon Center.
The Orange, shooting an impressive 52.2 percent from the floor for the season, made just 41.4% of their field goals in Sunday's six-point loss to Louisville. Wes Johnson hit just 5-of-20 buckets from the field, but he still paced Syracuse with 14 points and eight rebounds in the losing cause. The Iowa State transfer has been as good as advertised this season and he leads Syracuse in scoring (16.0 ppg) as well as rebounding (8.8 rpg). Kris Joseph, coming off the bench, has moved his way up to second in scoring at 11.3 ppg and he also pulls in 5.3 rpg. Andy Rautins adds 10.7 ppg and 4.7 apg to the mix, while Arinze Onuaku contributes 10.3 ppg and 4.8 rpg.
The Hoyas coughed up the ball 14 times and those turnovers proved costly, as Rutgers scored 18 points off them in a stunning 71-68 result on Sunday. Georgetown shot a solid 50.9 percent from the floor to help compensate, but it went just 4-of-13 from downtown and was outscored, 12-6, at the foul line. Greg Monroe guided the team in defeat with an all-around effort of 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four blocks. Austin Freeman tallied 17 points and five boards, and Hollis Thompson chipped in with 10 points. On the season, Freeman tops the roster in scoring at 16.8 ppg and he is a 47.9 percent three-point shooter. Monroe nearly averages a double-double with 15.5 ppg and team-high 9.5 rpg and he also dishes out 3.7 apg. Chris Wright tacks on 14.2 ppg and a team-best 3.9 apg for the Hoyas, while Jason Clark chips in with 10.8 ppg.
