Syracuse holds off Pitt, Georgetown next

NEW YORK -- Neither the Orange or the Panthers wanted to see its Big East tenure end in the quarterfinals of their last conference tournament.

James Southerland and Michael Carter-Williams kept Syracuse's run at one more title going as the 19th-ranked Orange beat No. 17 Pittsburgh 62-59 on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

Both schools are leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference next season. They didn't disappoint the sellout crowd, providing one last great game before they head south.

"We know that this means a lot to us, as a basketball team and as a program," Syracuse's Brandon Triche said. "This can very much jump start us to the [NCAA] tournament. So we know how important this Big East tournament is."

The fifth-seeded Orange (25-8) advanced to the semifinals against top-seeded Georgetown, which is one of the seven Catholic schools that have left their football counterparts behind in an attempt to have a basketball-centric conference.

"The doubleheader that's going to be here tomorrow night will be a great basketball night, I think," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "It's a great way for this league to go out. We got to the semis in this tournament a lot, I think over 20 times, and it's great to be able to do that because it means you played pretty good, and that's what we're trying to do, play good and get ready for, unfortunately, the only thing that matters, next week."

This will be the 14th time the schools have met in the Big East tournament and the Hoyas hold the series lead at 7-6.

"Georgetown is a team that's going to play tough and physical," Southerland said. "So if you keep moving, getting people open and setting screens, we'll be fine."