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ouncing back from a 22-point loss at Virginia on Dec. 2 to open conference play, Syracuse held off Cornell 81-70 Tuesday. The win extended SU’s perfect record at the JMA Wireless Dome this season to 5-0.
Led by Judah Mintz’s 28 points, Chris Bell’s 19 and Justin Taylor’s 15, the Orange weathered multiple Big Red runs to secure the victory. At halftime, Cornell embarked on an 11-1 spurt to cut Syracuse’s lead to three. Then, in the second half, it whittled a once-13-point deficit to trail 71-68.
But SU’s defense eventually held strong to hold off Cornell’s fiery comeback attempt. The Big Red scored just two points over the final 3:15 and capped off the win with emphatic dunks from Mintz and guard Quadir Copeland.
Syracuse next takes on once-Big East rivals Georgetown in the 99th all-time meeting. The Hoyas suffered a heartbreaking loss at the buzzer last time out to TCU, which halted a five-game winning streak.
Here’s everything you need to know before the Orange (6-3, 0-1 ACC) take on Georgetown (5-3, 0-0 Big East) Saturday:
All-time series
Syracuse leads 53-45.
Last time they played
Both sides last played on Dec. 10, 2022, when Syracuse defeated the Hoyas 83-64 at home. Jesse Edwards notched a team-high 20 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks while Mintz and Benny Williams added 16 and 13, respectively.
Though evenly matched through most of the early going, SU jumped out to a 12-0 run during the final 4:14 before the break. It entered the second half with a commanding 45-34 advantage and never looked back.
KenPom odds
Syracuse has a 58% chance of winning, with a projected score of 79-76.
The Hoyas report
Georgetown is a completely revamped squad, led by former Providence head coach Ed Cooley. The Hoyas are made up of 11 newcomers and just four returners from last season.
Boasting a 45.3 percent shooting clip from the field this year, per KenPom, the Hoyas have quickly morphed into a disciplined team loaded with multifaceted talent. They can stretch the floor or drive inside.
Georgetown is also equipped with physical bigs down low and generates most of its offense by way of driving and kicking to an open shooter. Defensively, it plays a swarming brand of man-to-man and isn’t afraid to switch off of ball-screens.
Transfers Jayden Epps (Illinois) and Dontrez Styles (North Carolina) have emerged as Georgetown’s go-to scorers, combining for just under 40 points per game. Another notable addition includes freshman forward Drew Fielder, a consensus 4-star recruit in the 2023 class.
How Syracuse beats Georgetown
Throughout four of Georgetown’s five victories this season, its largest margin of victory stands at just nine points. The Hoyas rank 10th out of 11 Big East teams in both scoring defense and opponent field goal percentage.
Syracuse will likely see a plethora of offensive success. It wins this game by sticking to Autry’s brand of aggressive, high-tempo basketball and sinking open 3-pointers. Chris Bell should be able to add another double-digit scoring night to his recent slew of impressive performances while Taylor can look to build off of his 15-point display against Cornell.
SU center Naheem McLeod won’t have much trouble on either end of the floor facing Georgetown’s largely undersized rotation of front court options. But if he does match up with 7-foot-2 Ryan Mutombo at any point, expect the taller McLeod to have his way with the unpolished Hoya center.
Stat to know: 39%
Georgetown hits jumpers at a tremendous 39 percent rate to rank second best in the Big East. The trigger-happy Hoyas feature four players who have attempted more than 20 3-pointers in the young 2023-24 campaign and are led by Epps’ 48.1 percent mark.
Cindy Zhang | Digital Design Director
Following Syracuse’s win over Cornell in its last game, head coach Adrian Autry praised its perimeter defense. Despite the Big Red firing 33 attempts from range, the Orange allowed just nine to fall — a performance they will have to carry over to Washington D.C.
Player to watch: Jayden Epps, guard, No. 10
In his sophomore year at Georgetown after appearing in 30 games under Tom Underwood at Illinois, Epps is the Hoyas’ No. 1 option. The attack-minded point guard is lightning quick off the dribble, capable of swishing outside jumpers while acting as a dependable floor general. Across his budding career with the Hoyas, Epps has already notched two 30-plus point games and averages a team-high 19 points.
Photograph taken by Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
Published on December 6, 2023 at 11:43 pm
Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff
