6 days Ago
Syracuse Orange center Eddie Lampkin Jr. (44) loses the handle on the ball. The Syracuse Orange take on the Georgetown Hoyas Saturday Dec.
14, 2024 at the JMA Wireless Dome.Dennis Nett | [email protected] dennis nett | dnett@syracuse.
com Chris Carlson | [email protected] Syracuse, N.Y.
-- Syracuse forward Jyare Davis is new to the Syracuse-Georgetown rivalry but he still woke up early on Saturday morning thinking about beating the Hoyas. He said there is no game outside of championship games that he has ever wanted to win more. This loss to the Hoyas, he said, will stay with him for a while.
“I don’t think there’s been another game in my career, aside from championship games, that I’ve wanted to as badly as I wanted to win this game,” Davis said. “I woke up early this morning thinking about this game. It sucks.
It’s going to sting for a while.” That, of course, is the point. The win was the first for either team against a power-conference program this season.
It might not matter in the big picture when the season ends. But at least it felt like it mattered in the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday. With two fallen programs that are a long way from their glory days, and far less at stake on Saturday than most of the games on which the rivalry was built, Syracuse-Georgetown brought out more emotion than either side probably would have mustered against any another opponent.
For the Hoyas, the 75-71 road win over Syracuse (5-5) became the self-declared best win in Cooley’s two seasons and something to build off, a sign that Georgetown (8-2) could handle a physical and emotional challenge. “As we’re trying to build our program here, this is a game we love having,” Cooley said. “We love the energy that goes with it, the tradition that it has, the legacy that it has, the edginess that it has, the chippiness that it has.
” Cooley said that Georgetown watched old film of the games as part of an effort to tap into the connection with the rivalry. Syracuse celebrated the 100th game in the series with special T-shirts that it wore during warm-ups. Syracuse’s lead in the series shrank to 54-46.
Today's warmup shirts pic.twitter.com/240sPAL3j8 Cooley noted that in a sport that has become more transient than ever, and where it’s harder for fans to grow attached to players, a rival is a particularly nice thing to have.
“It brings a lot of joy to the college game, of which, right now, with the state of college athletics, we need something to hang our hat on,” Cooley said. “As long as I’m head coach, I want to play this game each and every year.” For Syracuse, Davis played inspired basketball, finishing with 15 points and six rebounds.
Center Eddie Lampkin (18 points, 5 rebounds) was also emotional throughout, repeatedly urging on the crowd and Orange bench. He delivered a throwback battle in the post with Georgetown’s gifted freshman Thomas Sorber (16 points, 7 rebounds) The rest of the JMA Wireless Dome got involved after a dust-up, mild by Syracuse-Georgetown standard, with 12 minutes and 38 seconds. Both teams were issued technical fouls amid some pushing and shoving, during which the Georgetown bench meandered its way onto the floor for a face-off with Lucas Taylor.
Taylor said he saw one of the Georgetown players shove Eddie Lampkin, prompting him to try to defend his teammate. “I just saw them push Eddie,” Taylor said. “Any scenario I’m going to have my teammate’s back.
I didn’t realize I was the only one down there. “I guess that’s fake-tough,” Taylor added, responding to a criticism that was made on a television broadcast of the game. Without a great Syracuse team to cheer for the home crowd of 17,187 was tempered in its enthusiasm at the start but the tension between the two sides helped bring some additional electricity, the most enthused the building has been for a home game this season.
The crowd was small for the rivalry. Neither side has been to the NCAA Tournament since 2021. Both face an uphill climb again this year.
But the Dome was full enough to delight at an appearance from football coach Fran Brown and a flock of recruits on its big screen. They gave an ovation to quarterback Kyle McCord at halftime. And they roared as the Orange pulled itself to a 69-67 lead with 4:12 remaining.
“There’s no question I would like to continue this,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said. “It’s a great rivalry. As we both make stride to get it back to where we’d both like to be, I think both fanbases and both alumni (bases) would like to keep it going as well.
Then Georgetown hauled in a missed free throw by Malik Monk and the second-chance basket turned into a three-point possession. Two free throws after another offensive rebound extended the lead. Syracuse answered with wayward 3-pointers from Elijah Moore and Donnie Freeman.
Cheers briefly rang out through the walls of the Georgetown locker room after the game. in the neighboring version, the result left Syracuse players visually stung, a reminder that even when the stakes aren’t large, this is one that still matters. Perhaps most importantly on Saturday, with two programs in the midst of stretches of mediocrity, it provided something to be passionate about.
“It’s definitely the best rivalry I’ve played in,” Taylor said. “I didn’t expect for it to be Christmas break and have this crazy of a fanbase. I’m a North Carolina guy, so I grew up on Duke-UNC.
I’ll put it up with those rivalries if not better.” Contact Chris Carlson anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-382-7932.
