Syracuse vs. Georgetown: TV/streaming, time, odds, history & more

Teams: Syracuse Orange (6-2) vs. Georgetown Hoyas (7-1)

Day & Time: Saturday, Dec 8 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY

Line: TBD. ESPN BPI gives Syracuse an 85.5-percent chance of winning.

TV/Streaming: ESPN/WatchESPN

Radio: Syracuse IMG Network, WAER 88.3, Sirius XM 381

Georgetown blog: Casual Hoya

Rivalry: 50-43, Syracuse leads

Current Streak: 1, Good guys (Syracuse)

And, just for the hell of it, here’s this:

First Meeting: Before the game, someone asked “what’s a Hoya?” and no one on the Georgetown bench had an answer. Led by Ev Katz, Syracuse ran past the Hoyas at home, 40-18 in February of 1930. Afterward, a fan looked at their timepiece and exclaimed “it’s 2:47!” From across the court, someone responded “and Georgetown still sucks!” It’s been a tradition ever since.

Last Meeting: Georgetown, at 8-0 and having Patrick Ewing stomping the sidelines in D.C., led most of the way. The Hoyas actually were up by as many as 13 in the second half. But Syracuse, never to be outdone by unjust evil forces, came all the way back for an 86-79 victory in overtime.

Sophomore Tyus Battle led the way for the Orange, scoring 29 big points, hitting key shots in a furious comeback. Freshman Oshae Brissett also was a force, tallying 25 points, 24 in the second half, and securing 14 boards.

Frank Howard, a junior who was trying to gain some footing at the time, contributed 19 of his own points.

What’s interesting, Syracuse made 10 of its 23 attempted three-pointers. In fact, after the game, Jim Boeheim said, “The 3-point line, usually it works the other way against us but today the 3-point line worked for us which is highly unusual.”

Head Coaches: SU: Jim Boeheim (43rd year, 1,032-373); Georgetown: Patrick Ewing (2nd year, 22–16)

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Bio: Ewing was one of the better college centers of all-time while playing at Georgetown, then translated that to a Hall of Fame pro career predominantly with the New York Knicks. Afterward, he served as an assistant with the Wizards, Rockets, Magic and the Bobcats/Hornets before taking this Hoyas gig in the offseason. He definitely deserved a head coaching role before this one. As a Knicks fan, I’d prefer he got literally any other job.

Last Year: Loading up on the ITT Techs of the world, Ewing’s Hoyas started the season 8-0 before losing to the Orange. Following that humbling defeat to the only real team it faced, Georgetown started Big East play with 10 wins and just the one loss. Due in large part again to the fact that the Hoyas played no one. No. One.

In Big East play (which should come with an asterisk because we all know that the Big East ain’t the Big East), the Hoyas went 5-13, only having a two-game conference winning streak one time. Counting the Big East tourney, Ewing’s team closed out the year losing five straight.

Last Game: Georgetown scored a 10-point home win over Liberty on Monday night, 88-78. Jame Akinjo, a freshman, hit for a team-high 19 points, while Jessie Govan had a double-double of 17 points and 10 boards.

The Hoyas also were able to make 53 percent of their shots, 11 of 18 from downtown. And while Liberty isn’t a team of note, it was a team that came into the game Monday ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense. That might not mean much, as we’re talking about Liberty here, but maybe Georgetown is catching a little bit of fire.

“Fear Me, I’ve Killed Hundreds of Timelords”: Govan scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds in D.C. against Syracuse last year. So far this season, the six-foot-ten senior center is scoring 19.5 and pulling down seven rebounds per game. Govan has also drained 10 of his 21 three-point attempts. So, in other words, Syracuse could absolutely have its hands full with No. 15.

On top of Govan, freshman Mac McClung, Youtube sensation, seemingly has a knack for the big moment. McClung already has quite the highlight reel in playing just eight games for Ewing, and in his biggest stage yet, could be a thorn in the Orange’s side.

If Syracuse Wins: The Orange ups its record to 7-2 , its winning streak to five games. Furthermore, a win could very well get Syracuse back into to the top-25. And, something that should never be taken lightly, a victory keeps everything right in the world, which is important as we are smack dab in the middle of the holiday season. #SatanIsBad

If Syracuse Loses: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Fun Fact No. 1: Seriously, John Thompson Jr. got himself three technicals in the first half against Syracuse back in March of 1990. THREE!

Fun Fact No. 2: This isn’t necessarily a fun fact, or even a fact at all for that matter, but it should be pointed out that the two schools have not agreed to meet again. That doesn’t mean the Orange and Hoyas won’t play each other next year. But, due to other issues, such as ACC scheduling, Syracuse vs. Georgetown is not a given for 2019, or any other upcoming season.

That means, with Thompson Jr. declaring Manley Field House “officially closed” before the Dome opened, and Georgetown winning the last regular season Big East matchup, and then SU taking the Hoyas out in the subsequent Big East tourney, this game really might be the real last time to get one last shot in.

In other words, for the macro view, this is a big game.