Syracuse, NY – Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim placed a white towel over his right shoulder during the national anthem.
The towel was a tribute to the late Georgetown coach John Thompson, who died last August. Thompson was famous for having a towel over his shoulder during games throughout his coaching career.
Boeheim and Thompson were fierce rivals who came to share a great deal of respect for each other.
Boeheim took the towel and placed it on the chair during the game. Syracuse managed to beat Georgetown, 74-69.
Syracuse Orange coach Brad Pike takes a look at Syracuse Orange striker Marek Dolezaj (21) after Marek fell to the ground during a game between Syracuse and Georgetown on Saturday, January 9, 2021 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. Dennis Nett | [email protected]
Marek Dolezaj from Syracuse he looked more like a hockey player than a basketball player at the end of the game.
Dolezaj lost a tooth after colliding with Georgetown’s Jamorko Pickett one minute into the game. Pickett seemed to accidentally hit Dolezaj’s mouth with his elbow.
Dolezaj’s mouth was full of blood and he quickly left the court. However, he remained in the game.
Syracuse coach Brad Pike went to the court to check on Dolezaj and returned to the bench with a tooth in his hand.
In his two losses this season, Syracuse was dominated on the boards by Rutgers and Pittsburgh.
Georgetown entered Saturday’s game with strong numbers of rebounds. Hoyas had a recovery margin of over-6.4 for the season.
But while Syracuse built his 43 to 30 lead in the break, he did so by hitting the edges, especially at the defensive end of the court.
Syracuse had 23 rebounds in the first half, compared with just 11 in Georgetown. Hoyas had just an offensive rebound and had no point on the second chance.
Georgetown was much stronger on the exchanges in the second half, but Syracuse still recovered Hoyas 38-32 for the game.
Hoyas scored just seven points for a second chance.
Marek Dolezaj is becoming the iron man of Syracuse. He played the entire game on Saturday, keeping him on the ground for 40 minutes or more for the fourth consecutive game.
Dolezaj played the entire game against Northeastern, Pittsburgh and Georgetown. He recorded 42 of the possible 45 minutes in SU’s win in overtime over Buffalo.
Dolezaj finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Robert Braswell Line in the box, the score will not stand out, but the second year played an important role in Orange’s victory.
Braswell ended the game with three points, three steals, two rebounds and a block.
The blockade came at a critical moment. Georgetown, who lost by up to 16 points, narrowed the gap to just 65-61. With just over 5 minutes remaining, Jahvon Blair appeared to have a broken layout that would reduce the gap to two points. But Braswell fired from the opposite side of the ground and hit Blair’s shot.
Syracuse quickly pushed the ball up, where Buddy Boeheim drained a 3-point basket for a 68-61 lead.
In all, Braswell gave Syracuse some valuable contributions in his 17 minutes off the bench.
Syracuse ended the first half in a 22-6 run to take a 43-30 lead to the break.
The Orange explosion started with Joe Girard’s four-point play.
Girard, who had been fighting recently, buried a 3-point ball when he was knocked down by Georgetown’s Jahvon Blair. Girard made the free throw, turning a 24-21 handicap into a 25-24 advantage and the orange was on its way.
Girard finished with 18 points and the season record with 8 assists.
His career record of nine came last season in a loss to the state of Oklahoma.
The Syracuse-Georgetown rivalry it is not as hot today as it was in the 1980s and 1990s.
With Syracuse now at ACC and Georgetown still in the Big East, the two enemies only see each other once a year. But there is another element that has been lacking 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 teams were classified each time.
In their five meetings since 2017, including Saturday’s game, no team has been ranked in the top 25.
Syracuse center Bourama Sidibe missed Saturday’s game due to knee pain in which he had surgery for a broken meniscus in late November.
Sidibe, who started every game last season, tore the meniscus at the opening of the SU season against Bryant on November 27. He was due to return in four weeks.
Sidibe started practicing recently, but according to US coach Jim Boeheim, he felt some pain.
He has already lost eight consecutive games, including two SU games last week against Pittsburgh and Georgetown.
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