Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
.jpg "Research Chemical Sciences")
.png "Research Chemical Sciences")
(17) Syracuse (23-6) at (11) Georgetown (21-7)
After an embarrassing loss, Georgetown will look to bounce back on senior night against Big East rival Syracuse.
Doing so without senior point guard Chris Wright, though, could be a tough obstacle to overcome.
The 11th-ranked Hoyas will try to beat the No. 17 Orange twice in the same season for the first time in nine years Saturday at the Verizon Center.
Wright, who was averaging 21.7 points in his previous three games, missed all six of his shots and finished with two points prior to breaking his left hand in the second half of Georgetown’s 58-46 loss to Cincinnati on Wednesday, snapping the Bearcats’ 20-game road losing streak against ranked teams.
The Hoyas (21-7, 10-6), who sit in a fifth-place tie with Syracuse in the conference, haven’t won consecutive games in a single season in the series since 2001-02 and will need to figure out how to replace Wright’s 13.1 points and 5.4 assists per game, third in the Big East.
“Everyone has to be good tomorrow,” coach John Thompson III said. “We aren’t looking at this as we’re going to need person ‘X’ to replace Chris Wright. Everyone, top to bottom, head to toe, has to be a little bit better and do what they’ve been doing a little bit better for a little bit longer.”
Georgetown was held to four field goals in the second half Wednesday, shot 25.0 percent from the floor - its lowest mark under Thompson - and recorded its lowest point total since falling 58-40 to Seton Hall on March 8, 2001.
“I just thought we were out of sync,” Thompson said. “I thought we went through a phase where we started feeling sorry for ourselves, which we don’t need to do.”
Syracuse (23-6, 10-6) won its third straight with a 69-64 victory at No. 15 Villanova on Monday night thanks in part to a clutch free-throw shooting effort. The Orange, whose 65.8 free-throw percentage is tied for worst in the Big East, shot over 72.0 percent from the line for the second consecutive contest and improved to 5-3 on the road in conference play.
“We’ve been pretty good at the end of games,” coach Jim Boeheim said. “We’ve been pretty good when we need them and (Monday) we needed them.”
Rick Jackson and Scoop Jardine, who combined for just 11 points in a 64-56 loss Feb. 9 to Georgetown, together scored 38 versus the Wildcats while Kris Joseph, averaging a team-best 14.7 points, was held to seven.
Boeheim’s team had lost three straight road meetings to the Hoyas before a 75-71 win Feb. 18, 2010.
Georgetown senior Austin Freeman, fourth in the Big East with 17.8 points per game, hurt his ankle in a 69-60 win over Marquette on Feb. 13 and had been limited to 16 total points on 26.1 percent shooting in his next two games.
Freeman, though, scored 19 points on 7 of 13 shooting Wednesday and will likely need to carry even more of the load with Wright sidelined. Freeman is averaging 19.0 points his last six games against Syracuse.
While Wright could return by the start of the NCAA tournament, Georgetown will miss his presence as it tries to climb into the top four and receive a double-bye in the Big East tournament for the first time since winning the regular-season conference championship in 2007-08.
“We all have the same goal,” Wright told the team’s official website. “And we want to wear those hats that say Georgetown and BIG EAST Champion on them.”
After an embarrassing loss, Georgetown will look to bounce back on senior night against Big East rival Syracuse.
Doing so without senior point guard Chris Wright, though, could be a tough obstacle to overcome.
The 11th-ranked Hoyas will try to beat the No. 17 Orange twice in the same season for the first time in nine years Saturday at the Verizon Center.
Wright, who was averaging 21.7 points in his previous three games, missed all six of his shots and finished with two points prior to breaking his left hand in the second half of Georgetown’s 58-46 loss to Cincinnati on Wednesday, snapping the Bearcats’ 20-game road losing streak against ranked teams.
The Hoyas (21-7, 10-6), who sit in a fifth-place tie with Syracuse in the conference, haven’t won consecutive games in a single season in the series since 2001-02 and will need to figure out how to replace Wright’s 13.1 points and 5.4 assists per game, third in the Big East.
“Everyone has to be good tomorrow,” coach John Thompson III said. “We aren’t looking at this as we’re going to need person ‘X’ to replace Chris Wright. Everyone, top to bottom, head to toe, has to be a little bit better and do what they’ve been doing a little bit better for a little bit longer.”
Georgetown was held to four field goals in the second half Wednesday, shot 25.0 percent from the floor - its lowest mark under Thompson - and recorded its lowest point total since falling 58-40 to Seton Hall on March 8, 2001.
“I just thought we were out of sync,” Thompson said. “I thought we went through a phase where we started feeling sorry for ourselves, which we don’t need to do.”
Syracuse (23-6, 10-6) won its third straight with a 69-64 victory at No. 15 Villanova on Monday night thanks in part to a clutch free-throw shooting effort. The Orange, whose 65.8 free-throw percentage is tied for worst in the Big East, shot over 72.0 percent from the line for the second consecutive contest and improved to 5-3 on the road in conference play.
“We’ve been pretty good at the end of games,” coach Jim Boeheim said. “We’ve been pretty good when we need them and (Monday) we needed them.”
Rick Jackson and Scoop Jardine, who combined for just 11 points in a 64-56 loss Feb. 9 to Georgetown, together scored 38 versus the Wildcats while Kris Joseph, averaging a team-best 14.7 points, was held to seven.
Boeheim’s team had lost three straight road meetings to the Hoyas before a 75-71 win Feb. 18, 2010.
Georgetown senior Austin Freeman, fourth in the Big East with 17.8 points per game, hurt his ankle in a 69-60 win over Marquette on Feb. 13 and had been limited to 16 total points on 26.1 percent shooting in his next two games.
Freeman, though, scored 19 points on 7 of 13 shooting Wednesday and will likely need to carry even more of the load with Wright sidelined. Freeman is averaging 19.0 points his last six games against Syracuse.
While Wright could return by the start of the NCAA tournament, Georgetown will miss his presence as it tries to climb into the top four and receive a double-bye in the Big East tournament for the first time since winning the regular-season conference championship in 2007-08.
“We all have the same goal,” Wright told the team’s official website. “And we want to wear those hats that say Georgetown and BIG EAST Champion on them.”
