Creature Vs. Creature: Syracuse Tries to Collar The Hoyas

Say the phrase “Big East basketball” and immediately two teams spring to mind.

Syracuse and Georgetown. Georgetown and Syracuse.

No matter how you slice it, those two basketball giants are the premier rivalry in the Big East conference.

Now, the UConn Huskies might call a foul on that statement. After all, the Huskies have been the most dominant team in the league for close to 20 years.

UConn has two national championships along with a slew of players currently cashing an NBA paycheck. And it’s true that the Huskies have developed heated rivalries with both Syracuse and Georgetown.

But look back at when the conference was founded and you’ll see that the Big East was built on the backs of the Orange and the Hoyas (along with St. John's during the 1980s) slugging it out every year for league bragging rights.

The names alone read like a who’s who of college basketball.

Pearl Washington. Sleepy Floyd. Derrick Coleman. Patrick Ewing. Billy Owens. Dikembe Mutombo. Sherman Douglas. Reggie Williams. Carmelo Anthony. Michael Sweetney.

And don’t forget the coaches.

Jim Boeheim still patrols the sidelines for Syracuse. After matching wits with John Thompson II for so many years, Boeheim now attempts to out-X and O John Thompson III.

Wednesday will mark the first of two regular-season clashes between these two proud programs when Syracuse pays a visit to the nation’s capital.

Both teams have played four conference games but the quality of opponents has been very different.

Syracuse sits tied with Marquette atop the Big East at 4-0.

But those four teams (Seton Hall, South Florida, DePaul, and Rutgers) together have a dismal record of 1-14, with South Florida the only one of the quartet to find the win column.

Georgetown, on the other hand, stands at 2-2 with three of those contests coming against some of the heavies in the league.

The Hoyas began conference play by thumping then-No. 2 UConn on the road. The shoe was on the other foot when Pittsburgh came calling, though.

They lost their next game at Notre Dame but rebounded to beat Providence at home.

Both teams need this win and not just for bragging rights.

Syracuse, which undertakes a horrendous schedule as they play eight ranked teams over their next 10 games, needs to make a statement to the rest of the league that they are indeed for real.

Georgetown must right the ship after two losses to schools that will have a say in deciding the battle for first place. Plus, they certainly don’t want to fall any further behind one of the league leaders than they already are.

Immovable Object meets Irresistible Force.

So, what exactly does Syracuse need to accomplish in order to enjoy their visit to Washington D.C.?

Syracuse will hang a loss on the Hoyas if they…

Get a great game from Jonny Flynn

Flynn is well renowned for his scoring and passing ability but the Orange will also need him to maintain his poise throughout the entire game in what stands to be an extremely hostile environment.

Syracuse-Georgetown games typically are tightly contested affairs so Flynn’s leadership is essential. And another zero-turnover game like he had against Rutgers can’t hurt either.

Speaking of the Georgetown faithful…

Keep the crowd from being a factor

When a team like Syracuse or Georgetown hits the road in conference play, they always get their opponents’ best shot (to borrow a phrase from Dick Vitale). When visiting your main rival’s home digs, the fans are that much more amped up.

Ideally, the Orange need to get a lead and maintain it. This will keep the fans in their seats and not give them anything to cheer about.

Most important though is to not allow the Hoyas to hit them with any big runs. Nothing in college hoops makes a fan base scream louder and louder then when the home team is laying the lumber to their opponent. So avoiding any 10-0 or 14-2 spurts is critical.

Force the Hoyas’ bench to contribute

Georgetown relies on their starting five for 81 percent of their points. Their highest scoring reserve, Jason Clark, averages only five points per outing.

If Syracuse can force Georgetown’s subs to be a factor on the offensive end, the better the chances the Orange walk away with a victory.

Contain Greg Monroe

News flash: The Hoyas have yet another dominant, freshman big man. But Monroe isn’t the typical plant-himself-in-the-low-post-back-to-the-basket big. He packs small forward athleticism into a 6’-11” frame.

Monroe can score inside and bury perimeter jumpers. He’s their second leading scorer (13.5 ppg), leading rebounder (6.3 rpg), and is second on the team in assists (2.5 apg). If that isn’t enough, he also leads the Hoyas in steals and blocks too.

While he’s far too skilled to completely shut down, teams better hope to limit the Monroe’s damage.

Don’t let them make 3s

Against a 2-3 zone, offenses are often tempted to bury a team with three-pointers. That will play right into the hands of the defense if their opponent isn’t converting.

The Orange simply can’t give the Hoyas open looks from beyond the arc.

Junior DaJuan Summers makes a whopping 44.9 percent of his triples while Chris Wright (36.6 percent) and Jessie Sapp (36.5 percent) can both light it up from long distance too.

Keep them off free throw line

On defense, Syracuse must negate Georgetown’s dribble penetration.

All five starters for the Hoyas make at least 70 percent of their free throws so if Georgetown starts a parade to the foul line, the Orange could be in for a long evening.

Rebound the ball

While this is a basic fundamental for success on the basketball court, only Monroe averages more than five boards per game. Georgetown has to rely on gang rebounding in order to corral the ball.

The onus will be on Arinze Onuaku, Paul Harris, and Rick Jackson to control the glass (especially on the defensive end) and limit the number of Hoyas’ possessions.

Tonight shapes up as another in along line of Syracuse-Georgetown classics.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.