Syracuse vs. Georgetown: My Favorite Hoya-Beating Memory
by Sean Keeley on Feb 6, 2012 5:13 PM EST
in Syracuse Basketball
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PrintAs the Syracuse Orange prepare to take on the Georgetown Hoyas in one the final Big East battles between the two, I wanted to take a look back at my favorite personal memory of the series. I invite you to leave your own in the comments as well.
If Syracuse beats Georgetown on Wednesday and fans storm the court, it will be considered an embarrassment. Everyone will criticize us for it and it will seem to cheapen our season and the rivalry.
I agree 100% with that sentiment and I cringe when I look back at all the times we've stormed the court against the Hoyas. That said, storming the court after beating Georgetown in 1998 was one of my favorite memories while at SU, I'm glad we did it and if put back in that situation I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
You have to take a step back and get into the psyche of a Syracuse fan in 1998. Sure we were two years removed from a Final Four but that team was long gone. We had just sat through one of the most miserable seasons in Boeheim's tenure, a 19-13 season that ended in the NIT. And while this year's team had spent a good chunk of the season ranked, it still felt like we were under-performing and failing to live up to the lofty Syracuse name.
When Georgetown came to town on March 1st, the No. 23 Orange were 21-7 and the Hoyas were a mere 13-13. We had lost two of our last three and felt like the season was falling apart at the worst possible time. We needed to win to ensure a Big East 7 division title (the Big East had divisions then...long story) and get back on track headed into the BET.
It just so happened that two of my hometown friends were up visiting that weekend. It was their first time visiting SU and their first SU basketball game. One went to Marist and the other went to a pharmacy college in Philadelphia, so you can imagine that the Dome experience was a bit surreal for them. Plus, back then, students sat in the bleachers along the court and our tickets were killer, half-court and about six rows back.
27,726 fans packed the Dome for the largest crowd of the season. They spent most of the game watching the Hoyas dominate, taking a 31-23 lead into the half. Here we went again.
Down ten with five minutes left in the game, the Orange looked to the senior Todd Burgan to lead the way. After going scoreless in the first half of his final Carrier Dome game, he erupted for 19 points. With 22 seconds left, a Burgan lay-up tied the score at 68-68. He then prevented the Hoyas from taking it back with a critical charge but was unable to score a winning basket himself. Overtime.
The crowd was already surging at this point and you just had a sense we were going to storm the court if we won. It defied all the "rules" about court-storming but it didn't really feel like it was wrong. We wanted to reclaim something. Some kind of excitement about SU basketball that got sucked out the Dome doors last season. Of course, we had to win the game first.
Todd Burgan made sure we did, though kudos go to LaSean Howard who iced the win with a three-point play with seconds remaining. If I remember correctly, there was a false start court-storming just before the final moments. So when the buzzer sounded and we actually did it, there was no surprise.
The Georgetown guys left in a hurry while the Syracuse players ate it up. After it was all over, my friend from Marist told me he rubbed Boeheim's head in the madness. We stayed on the court for as long as we could, mingling, jumping, high-fiving and just marveling at the fact that we were standing next to Jason Hart, who seemed much taller at that moment than usual.
A friend of mine who couldn't attend the game but heard of the court-storming said it terrible that we did it. On paper, he's right. But courts aren't stormed on paper. They happen when they happen. Rules be damned, it was the perfect ending to another Syracuse - Georgetown classic and the perfect catharsis for Syracuse fans on that day.
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Favorite G'town Beating
My favorite beat down of Georgetown is… the next time we beat them. They are ALL great.
by CLB1987 on Feb 6, 2012 5:27 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
I'm afraid I'll never get to storm the court/field while I'm here
I really wanted to for the WVU football game this year, but the lack of a student section killed my hopes.
Syracuse '13
Just one memory?
So many memories for me. One of my favorites was storming the court in 1985 (so long ago and it feels like yesterday except I’m not hung over today), after beating the top ranked Hoyas featuring Patrick Ewing and his thug posse. It was Hoya Paranoia at its height. GTown was the defending national champ, and it didn’t seem like a decent, not great, SU team had a chance. Yet there they were. We rushed the court after Reggie Williams missed a prayer shot, and I’ll never forget seeing one of my TAs on the court while we jumping around with joy. I’ll never forget the game (it may have been 1990) when Billy Owens was fouled as time expired as he was trying to throw up a prayer at midcourt. He went to the line, hit his foul shots and SU took off in OT. I’d have to agree that any GTown win is a good one, particularly when you see SU win over the Hoyas on the road. My favorite in that category is when GMac hit a ridiculous three in 2004 to win the game (that Craig Forth almost goaltended). A Georgetown player admitted fouling Gerry after the game. Of course, as usual, no foul was called. Hopefully Wednesday’s game will be like the game a couple of years ago where SU went on a run in the first half and the game was essentially over at halftime. And Sean, that 1997 team was the worst Syracuse team I’ve seen play. I punched a hole in the wall of my old house over how badly they got run off the court by Florida State in the first round of the NIT. Not proud to admit it, but that team was frustrating to watch, to say the least. This team is much better, and if I were a student now, I would be camped out waiting for Wednesday.
SU @ G'Town (2004)
I was at that game. It was a horrible, tedious, awful, disgusting game… with one of the most exciting conclusions (Gmac’s game-winning 3 at the buzzer) that I’ve ever seen in person. I remember being so miserable that game, but there was nothing sweeter than the loud “LET’S GO ORANGE” cheers that filled the hallways of the Verizon Center as Syracuse fans happily exited the building.
Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, I’m not sure that I have one particular fond Georgetown memory. I just remember John Thompson and his towel. He was Darth Vader. An evil man, that you both feared and couldn’t quite help but respect. I was convinced that at any moment, he was going to rip off his suit, beat up one of his own guys and take their jersey, and check into the game. Seeing him lose was always such a treat. I imagine that’s how Luke felt when he blew up the original Death Star.
http://twitter.com/#!/TeabagDunk
Exactly what I was going to say
I was at that game as well in D.C. back in 2004. It was so fun walking out there after Gerry’s buzzer beater, and then finding this Irish bar around the corner that was 95% Orange.
Oh Todd Burgan
I miss your attempts at blocking shots.
Storming the court is always a blast regardless of whether it’s “right” or not. A quality storming, filling up the court, is great. There was nothing better than the triple court storming we did against Pitt in ’03.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Feb 6, 2012 5:38 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I've always wanted to storm the court
But it’s embarrassing if people are seriously thinking of doing it on Wednesday.
I was there in 98
and it was alot of fun to storm the court. My buddy was one of the first ones to go and got his picture in the paper for it.
I was there in 98
and it was a lot of fun to storm the court. My buddy was one of the first ones to storm and got his picture in the paper for it. I was right behind him.
I’ve only been to 2 GTown games in person, 2007 and 2008. Both times we rushed the court, but I only did it in 2008. That 2007 Big Monday game might have been the loudest game I’ve ever been to(and there were only 27000 there). After the game was even crazier. I remember some kids stole the “who’s he” “so what” etc. signs and were running around with them outside. Then were were dozens of people rolling down the hills that were covered in snow. Classic!
Another favorite of mine was the 2006 BET game. Coming back from 15 down at halftime to win it. I can only imagine how insane it must’ve been in MSG.
Tis was a great game.
I came down from the 3rd level to rush the cort on this one. I had never wanted to before and haven’t since. But this was a great game!
"That's no moon..."
"Now you will wittness the fire-power of this fully armed and operational Death Orange..."
Have some class guys...
It’s only ok to storm the court when you upset a higher-ranked (usually much higher ranked) opponent. It is also ok to storm the court when you beat Duke, no matter what. See GU win over Duke at the VZ Center in January 2006 (GU unranked, Duke ranked #1). We could have rushed the court when we beat Duke again in January 2010 (GU ranked #7, Duke 8), but the Secret Service would have arrested us.
When is the last time the President and Vice President attended a game in Syracuse?
“When is the last time the President and Vice President attended a game in Syracuse?”
And then we wonder why Chinese and Indian kids are absolutely facing us in key academic measures…like geography.
by Philly44 on Feb 7, 2012 9:50 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
The President can goe wherever he pleases...
President Clinton attended the GU-Arkansas game in the Midwest Region Round 2 (Dallas, TX) in the 1994 NCAA tourney.
Hey, isn’t Biden an SU alum?
Face it, no one wants to go to Syracuse, for any reason.
I look out my window
And see Dinosaur BBQ. Better gig.
by Mike I. on Feb 7, 2012 3:48 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
don't forget
Protesters, vagrants and streets you dare not walk after dark.
(After a bit of reflection I’m feel I’m not being fair. There are a good 2% of the streets that are fine to walk after dark in DC.)
DC Streets are safe
Even for college girls…you don’t have to worry about being hit your classmates on the basketball team.
And for college boys, you don’t have to be worry about being sexually assaulted by the assistant basketball coach…or his wife!
He didn't convince the President to make the trip
“The Vice Presidency isn’t worth a bucket of warm piss.”
- Vice President Garner
Stoopid is as stoopid does
….and storming the court this year would be…..
Life is what you make of it, and mine is all Orange!
Best Georgetown Defeat?
Has to be the game where Thompson was booted. It seemed forever that the refs were afraid of John Thompson. He would regularly walk out to the middle of the floor and never had a technical called. He intimidated everyone. Until this game. In one Thompson Tirade, each of the three referees (Larry Lembo was the lead ref) called a technical, resulting in Thompson’s ejection (it took three techs to be ejected back then). Thompson seemed stunned. Even though he tried to play off the crowd going crazy by waving his arms, it really seemed like this was the beginning of the end of the Thompson era. He never seemed as intimidating after that. Oh, and it was great to see Syracuse shoot 8 consecutive free throws (2 for the foul that caused Thompson to blow in the first place and then the resulting 6 from the technicals) with nobody standing around the key and then get the ball back. Great, great game!
The only other thing that I wish I had seen was Syracuse beat Georgetown in Thompson’s last game and have Jim Boeheim after the game say “The career of John Thompson is now officially over.” Of course, Boeheim has more class than that, and Thompson’s career ended not with a bang, but a whimper.
by Paul Ditz on Feb 7, 2012 8:57 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
rec
The only other thing that I wish I had seen was Syracuse beat Georgetown in Thompson’s last game and have Jim Boeheim after the game say "The career of John Thompson is now officially over." Of course, Boeheim has more class than that, and Thompson’s career ended not with a bang, but a whimper.
ugh. amateur.
try this: http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150580623198444&set=oa.240430782697988&type=1&theater
that '98 game
Sean, that ’98 game was the last game of my senior year. Such a sweet ending and I also had friends come up. We all ended up on CBS dancing on the court and before I left I bent down, kissed the S in the middle of the court, and walked out happy that the ending was so sweet :)
And yes, Lasean Howard with the 3 point play!
'97 and '10
’97: Who comes off the bench to help Syracuse come back from a 10 point deficit over the final 6 minutes? None other than Donovan McNabb. He finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and one big block of Jahidi White. Was just an awesome game to attend.
And in 2010, the ass kicking we gave the hoyas after they went up like 18-5 in the first few minutes were two of the funnest hours of my life. Seriously.
SHASHASHAA!!!
by RustyShackleford on Feb 7, 2012 12:47 PM EST reply actions
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