WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jim Boeheim and John Thompson II, rival coaches many years, saw each other in the bowels of the MCI Center on Saturday when Boeheim was leaving. They put their arms around each other, shared a few words, and like the stoic coaches they are, continued on their ways. It was almost an hour after the game ended, a time seldom slotted for coaches to wax.

Boeheim, Syracuse’s head coach, and Thompson II, former head coach of Georgetown and father of current Hoyas head coach, John Thompson III, coached against each other during the SU-GU rivalry’s heyday. In recent seasons, though, the rivalry has been completely one-sided. Syracuse beat Georgetown the last four times the teams played and the Hoyas have lost the bully-reputation it carried through the 1980s and 1990s.

That changed on Saturday when Georgetown (19-7, 10-5 Big East) topped Syracuse (19-9, 7-7), 68-53, in front of 18,879 at the MCI Center. It was the Hoyas’ first win over SU since 2002 and a fitting one, considering it was Senior Day in Washington, D.C., and none of the current seniors had ever beaten the Orange.

The matchup appeared likely to be a down-to-wire, made-for-TV classic duel until the Hoyas were able to pull away in the second half. SU trailed 33-30 at halftime, and Boeheim felt it should have been tied had a controversial shot clock malfunction not given the Hoyas an additional offensive possession which resulted in a 3-point play.

Not until there was a little more than eight minutes remaining in the game and Georgetown senior Darrel Owens hit a 3-pointer to give Georgetown a 12-point lead to cap off an eight-point run did the meter shift entirely to one team’s direction.

‘It should have been a close game and it was in the first half and we got no help from (Syracuse’s starters) in the first half and less help from them in the second half,’ Boeheim said. ‘There are maybe one or two teams in the Big East that if their starters don’t play well, they can still win. We’re not one of them.’

The Orange’s starting five combined for just 44 points. Eric Devendorf led SU with 13 points while Darryl Watkins played one of his better games, scoring 12 points and registering eight rebounds and four blocks. But forwards Terrence Roberts and Demetris Nichols were in foul trouble for most the game, combining for 9 points in 41 minutes. Leading scorer Gerry McNamara couldn’t find his stroke, either, scoring eight points on 3-of-10 shooting.

The Orange tried to shoot its way back into the game, but Georgetown played tough defense and SU hit more iron than nylon. Georgetown’s two post players, Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green dominated the paint and wouldn’t allow the Orange to claw back into the game.

‘We weren’t scoring inside the whole game. Maybe if we were scoring inside, you’d think you want to go there,’ Boeheim said. ‘But we’re a perimeter-oriented team. And if you take it to the basket, Hibbert’s there and Green’s there. So you’re not going to get it much on the drive.’

The Hoyas kept grabbing the rebounds and playing out the clock. They’d attempt a shot late into the shot clock but were still able to find the rebounds. Georgetown beat SU 39-29 on the glass. 22 of the GU’s rebounds came on the offensive end.

‘It’s something we stressed coming into this game,’ Thompson III said. ‘(Syracuse wins) when they rebound. We thought we could go after the boards and make some shots.’ Green anchored the victory, scoring 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Owens scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in his final home game. With its second straight win after dropping their previous three games, Georgetown looks like a surefire NCAA Tournament team.

Boeheim was full of praise for the rivals after the game, insisting that they were a good team last season when they reached the NIT and drove the Orange into overtime during the regular season. The Hoyas returned most of the contributors from last season’s team and are in Thompson III’s system for the second year.

But on top of perhaps sealing GU’s tournament fate, the win was a signal that the rivalry is renewed and Thompson III can battle Boeheim the way his father battled SU’s coach.

‘The Duke win was nice,’ Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said, in reference to the Hoyas win over No. 1 Duke on Jan. 21. ‘This win was nicer. It’s Georgetown-Syracuse.’

Published on February 25, 2006 at 12:00 pm