The Carrier Dome has seen some great basketball games over the years, but recently there’s been a lack of star-studded, pay-per-view bouts at ‘The Loud House.’ In the past three and a half years, there have been just four games between Top 25 teams at the Dome.

But tonight can change the memories of those lackluster games at the Dome. For the first time since 2001, bitter rivals Syracuse and Georgetown will square off at the Carrier Dome as teams ranked in the top 15. Better buckle up, because this one, on paper, has the potential to be the best game at the Dome in the past four years.

‘Every time you play Georgetown, it’s going to be a tough game,’ senior center Arinze Onuaku said. ‘It’s going to be a rivalry game, and we know the history and the fans are going to be here, and it’s always going to be a big game. We have to get a little rest and get ready to go.’

The four Top 25 games the past three and a half years were No. 15 Syracuse vs. No. 17 Wichita State in 2006; No. 8 Syracuse vs. No. 12 Notre Dame in 2009; No. 8 Syracuse vs. No. 9 Louisville in 2009; and No. 24 Syracuse vs. No. 12 Villanova in 2009. Syracuse went 1-3 in those games, with the lone win coming against the Fighting Irish.

While several of those games were exciting – most notably the Villanova final-shot finish and the Wichita State missed-layup ending – imagine if they had been against the archrival Georgetown. College athletics are built on rivalries. Oklahoma-Texas. Duke-North Carolina. USC-UCLA. Fans gobble those games up.

Looking at those past games, Wichita State had zero historical significance, Louisville and Notre Dame aren’t nearly as big of rivals, and Villanova is probably third behind the Hoyas and Connecticut. Georgetown is the top dog (no pun intended), and the fans and players know it. Since John Thompson and Jim Boeheim battled wits several decades ago, the Hoyas and the Orange have been bitter rivals and the intensity has heated up in recent years.

Let’s not forget, arguably the most memorable games at the Carrier Dome the last three seasons were against Georgetown. Who can forget the 72-58 win in 2007 when the fans rushed the court thinking the Orange had qualified for the NCAA Tournament? Or the following season, after a 77-70 win over the No. 8 Hoyas, that also featured a court-storming? What about last season’s 98-94 win in overtime during the ‘Orange Out’? When the Hoyas have come to the Carrier Dome, it’s been memorable.

‘It’s big,’ sophomore forward Kris Joseph said. ‘I don’t think people understand this has been going on for so long, and we have to keep it going and we have to play good basketball on Monday night. And Georgetown is going to come and they’re going to bring their best and play their A-game, and we’re going to have to play a lot better than that.’

So that all leads to tonight. Besides the long-tenured rivalry, this game has the chance to be special because, barring any surprises, both teams should be ranked in the Top 10 when the new polls are released today. Syracuse will most likely be the No. 4 team in the nation, and Georgetown should move up to 10, usurping Tennessee and Kansas State.

Games between Top 10 teams are what every college basketball fan hopes for on any given night. Syracuse isn’t 19-1 and the No. 2 team in the Big East because of luck, and Georgetown isn’t 15-3 and No. 3 in the conference because of an easy schedule. Both teams have beaten quality opponents and are filled with stars.

Syracuse’s Wes Johnson and Georgetown’s Greg Monroe are two of the top players in the country and likely NBA Draft lottery picks if they both choose to leave school early.

Austin Freeman and Andy Rautins are two of the best guards in the conference. Georgetown runs a slow, Princeton-style offense, while Syracuse excels in the transition game. Whichever team can force its opponent into its own style of play will gain the upper hand, and it will be fun to watch Syracuse push the tempo while Georgetown tries to slow the pace.

This game could be a preview of the Big East championship or a Sweet 16 or Elite Eight matchup. These teams are legitimate contenders, and they’re both starring at the Carrier Dome tonight.

‘It means a lot, Big Monday,’ junior forward Rick Jackson said. ‘Georgetown is a real good team. You have to be ready for them. They’re going to come in here and be pumped up, and right now guys just want to beat us. Everybody wants to beat Syracuse right now, and you have to be ready. Like any other game, you have to be ready.’

College GameDay against Villanova is right around the corner, and that certainly has potential. But let’s forget about the future. Both teams play tough schedules between now and then and could slip up a few times. Let’s focus on tonight, when two national title contenders battle at the Carrier Dome on Big Monday. This could be one for the decade.

mrehalt@syr.edu

Published on January 24, 2010 at 12:00 pm