Syracuse, NY – Jim Boeheim, coach of Syracuse, draped a white towel over his right shoulder during the national anthem.
The towel was a tribute to late Georgetown coach John Thompson, who passed away last August. Thompson had a towel over his shoulder during games during his career.
Boeheim and Thompson were fierce competitors who came to share a great deal of respect for each other.
Boeheim takes the towel and lays it over his chair during the match. Syracuse beat Georgetown, 74-69.
Brad Pike, coach of Syracuse Orange, watches Marek Dolezaj (21) of Syracuse Orange after Marek hit the floor during a game between Syracuse and Georgetown on January 9, 2021 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse New York. Dennis Nett | [email protected]
Syracuse’s Marek Dolezaj looks more like a hockey player than a basketball player at the end of the game.
Dolezaj loses a tooth after colliding with Georketown’s Jamorko Pickett, with one minute left. It looks like Pickett accidentally hit Dolezaj’s mouth with his elbow.
Dolezaj’s mouth was full of blood and he jogged short from the court. However, he remained in the game.
Syracuse coach Brad Pike went to court to examine Dolezaj and walked back to the bench with a tooth in his hand.
In his two losses this season, Syracuse has been dominated by both Rutgers and Pittsburgh on the boards.
Georgetown entered Saturday’s game with strong setbacks. The Hoyas had a rebound margin of plus-6.4 for the season.
But when Syracuse built up its 43-30 lead, he did so by hitting the boards, especially on the defensive side of court.
Syracuse grabbed 23 rebounds in the first half compared to just 11 Georgetown. The Hoyas had just one offensive setback and had no second chances in the half.
Georgetown were much stronger on the boards in the second half, but Syracuse still outscored the Hoyas 38-32 for the game.
The Hoyas scored just seven second chances.
Marek Dolezaj becomes in Syracuse’s Iron Man. He played the entire game on Saturday, keeping himself on the floor for 40 minutes or longer for the fourth consecutive game.
Dolezaj played the entire game against Northeastern, Pittsburgh and Georgetown. He scored 42 out of 45 possible minutes in SU’s overtime victory over Buffalo.
Dolezaj finishes with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Robert Braswell’s line in the box the score will not stand out, but the second year played a big role in the Orange’s victory.
Braswell finished the game with three points, three steals, two rebounds and one block.
The block has come to a critical point. Georgetown, who were trailing by as many as 16 points, tipped the deficit to just 65-61. With just over 5 minutes of playing time left, Jahvon Blair apparently had a breakaway setup that would reduce the gap to two points. But Braswell floats in from across the floor and swings Blair’s lap away.
Syracuse pushed the ball up quickly, where Buddy Boeheim drained a 3-point lead to a 68-61 lead.
All in all, Braswell Syracuse made some valuable contributions in his 17 minutes from the bench.
Syracuse ended the first half on a 22-6 run to take a 43-30 lead at halftime.
The Orange’s outburst began with a four-point play by Joe Girard.
Girard, who struggled recently, buried a three-pointer when he was buried by Jahvon Blair of Georgetown. Girard made the free throw and turned a 24-21 deficit into a 25-24 lead and the Orange were on their way.
Girard finished with 18 points and a season-high 8 assists.
His career high of nine was last season in a defeat against Oklahoma State.
The rivalry between Syracuse and Georgetown runs no longer as hot these days as in the 1980s and 90s.
With Syracuse now in the ACC and Georgetown still in the Big East, the two enemies see each other only once a year. But there is another element that has been missing in recent years.
From 2005 to 2013, which was Syracuse’s last year in the Big East, Syracuse and Georgetown met 17 times. One or both of the teams were ranked each time.
In their five meetings since 2017, including Saturday’s game, neither team has been ranked in the Top 25.
Syracuse center Bourama Sidibe Saturday’s game was missed due to a knee injury he underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in late November.
Sidibe, who started every game last season, tore his meniscus in the US season opener against Bryant on November 27. He would originally return in four weeks.
Sidibe recently started training, but according to American coach Jim Boeheim, he is a bit sore.
He has now missed eight games in a row, including SU’s two games last week against Pittsburgh and Georgetown.
More basketball in Syracuse:
What if John Thompson went to Syracuse? A story of the late Georgetown coach’s recruiting trip to SU
Ax: Syracuse-Georgetown is the rival of university basketball that lasts
Syracuse sophomore Quincy Guerrier appears in The Athletic’s NBA spot
Those photos of Syracuse athletes on social media? Meet the Syracuse Entrepreneur Responsible