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Syracuse aims to exact revenge on Georgetown

Syracuse center Jesse Edwards (white) dunking against Oakland on Tuesday. The senior finished the contest with 18 points on 9/9 shooting.
Cuse.com
Syracuse center Jesse Edwards (white) dunking against Oakland on Tuesday. The senior finished the contest with 18 points on 9/9 shooting.

Syracuse is riding high after back-to-back victories against Notre Dame and Oakland. The men leading the charge for SU have been guard Joe Girard III and big man
Jesse Edwards. Girard has scored 19 points-per-game on 57% shooting, while the Flying Dutchman has averaged 20 points and 11.5 rebounds in the Orange’s last two contests.

“They’re [Girard and Edwards] veteran players. We need them to play consistently,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “Some nights they’re going to play better than others, but we need them both to be factors.”

The duo lead Syracuse in scoring heading into a matchup against long-time rival Georgetown on Saturday, but neither have been flawless. Girard had a stretch of three-straight single digit scoring contests, that includes a donut against 17th ranked Illinois. On the other hand, Edwards has been much more consistent, considering he has just one game below double figures. However, the center has fouled out twice this year.

When the Orange traveled to the Hoyas last December, Girard and Edwards combined for 27 points, but it wasn’t enough. SU lost 79-75 after having a ten point halftime lead.

Syracuse guard Joe Girard (Orange) shooting a three against Georgetown last season. The Glens Falls native connected on two triples during that contest.
Cuse.com
Syracuse guard Joe Girard (Orange) shooting a three against Georgetown last season. The Glens Falls native connected on two triples during that contest.

Leading the Georgetown attack for this year is star guard Primo Spears. The Duquesne transfer has been one of the lone bright spots for the Hoyas this season, piling up 16.7 points and 4.9 assists per game. Spears excels when attacking the rim. In order to slow down the guard, Girard has to stay in front of him at the top of the 2-3 zone, while Edwards roams the interior to disrupt any shot Primo takes.

“[Spears] gives us another physical defensive-minded guard who can make the right passes,” Hoyas head coach Patrick Ewing said following Spears’ decision to transfer to Georgetown.

Speaking of defense, Spears could frustrate Girard given his size and physicality. The sophomore averages 1.6 steals-per-game. At Duquesne, the guard had 1.3 steals-a-contest. In Georgetown’s 75-68 win over Sienna on Wednesday, Primo contributed 20 points, eight assists, and two steals. The bottom line is Primo has established himself as a two-way dynamo that could give the Orange problems.

The Syracuse-Georgetown rivalry started in 1930. The former Big-East foes have combined for two national titles and eleven final four appearances. This particular matchup doesn’t have some of the stakes as previous ones. Nevertheless, these schools don’t like each other. It’s the Orange and Hoyas for the 96th time.

Syracuse faces Georgetown Saturday at 1:00 from the JMA Wireless Dome. Countdown to Tipoff begins at 12:30 on the original home of the Orange, WAER.