Syracuse @ Georgetown preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 17, 2016 ) Georgetown 78, Syracuse 71

The weakest schedule in the country has provided Georgetown with an unblemished record, but it remains to be seen if it has prepared the Hoyas for what they will face Saturday against visiting Syracuse. Once adversaries of a different kind, Patrick Ewing and Jim Boeheim will meet for the first time as coaches when the Hoyas and the Orange square off for the 92nd time.

The Hoyas, who have won two straight and four of five against Syracuse, may relish a challenge after opening big leads and coasting to victory against the likes of Howard and North Carolina A&T. "We're a scrappy group. We kind of lose focus a little bit, but that's something we've got to keep trying to improve on every game," junior Jessie Govan told the media. "I'm really excited about continuing this season and hopefully walking away with another W." Govan, the Big East's fourth-leading scorer and top rebounder, will surely be the focus of Syracuse's vaunted zone defense, which has limited all but two opponents to fewer than 70 points. Tyus Battle comes into this contest off three-straight 20-point games, a feat he has accomplished twice this season for the Orange, whose lone loss came at the hands of No. 2 Kansas following a 6-0 start.

TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, CBS

ABOUT SYRACUSE (8-1): Battle, Frank Howard and Oshae Brissett stay on the court for most of the game as each has averaged better than 34 minutes for Boeheim, whose 1,012 career coaching victories includes 38 against Georgetown. Howard is second in scoring and tops in assists (6.0 per game) while Brissett is third in scoring in first in rebounding at 9.2 for the Orange. Boeheim mixes and matches with a group of five players, including 7-2 junior center Paschal Chukwu and 6-10 freshman Bourama Sidibe, who will likely be called upon to mark Govan.

ABOUT GEORGETOWN (8-0): The outside shooting of Marcus Derrickson, Kaleb Johnson and Jonathan Mulmore could prove pivotal in this game against a Syracuse defense that has allowed its last five opponents to shoot 35 percent or better from the 3-point line. The trio has combined to shoot 47.5 percent from beyond the arc this season, but the lack of quality opposition has certainly played a part in their success. Mulmore will need to maintain his 2.17 assist-to-turnover margin if the Hoyas are to have success breaking down the zone.

TIP-INS

1. Govan has averaged 24 points and 15.6 rebounds over the last three games for Georgetown, whose strength of schedule is ranked last of 351 teams in Division I by kenpom.com.

2. Ewing was 8-3 against Syracuse as a player at Georgetown, including an overtime victory in the Big East Tournament championship game in 1984.

3. Louis Orr, an assistant coach at Georgetown, scored 1,487 career points for Syracuse from 1976-80 and his No. 55 hangs in the rafters at the Carrier Dome.

PREDICTION: Syracuse 75, Georgetown 64