Georgetown, the No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament , will take on the fifth- seeded Syracuse Orangemen tonight in the semifinals at 7 p.m. in New York.
The high-scoring offense of Syracuse (72.1 points per game) is hoping to improve on its past two meetings with the Hoyas, having been held to just 85 points total in those games.
C.J. Fair will look to get things started early against the Georgetown defense. Having averaged 14.5 ppg and 7.2 rebounds per game up to this point, Fair is set to go up against the play of Otto Porter, Jr. who has both outscored (16.4 ppg) and out rebounded (7.4) Fair all year. If the Orange is to stand a chance, the combination of Fair and Michael Carter-Williams will need to be impeccable. Carter-Williams has dished out nearly eight assists per game while added almost three steals per game as well.
If Carter-Williams is able to make opportunities out of nothing and get the ball to his teammates the way he has all year, the Orange may be able to pull off the upset.
For the Hoyas, Porter, Jr. will look to keep up the play that helped hold the Orange to just 39 points in their last meeting barely a week ago. Porter scored a game-high 18 points while going 11-11 on free throws. In order to the Hoyas to continue to dominate Syracuse, Porter needs to be able to create more opportunities for himself and his teammates while continuing to draw fouls.
Georgetown certainly doesn't seem to be slowing down, having won 13 of the last 14 games. The added play of D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who has scored in the double figures three games in a row, has helped the bench for the Hoyas to add an extra spark late in the game when they need it most.
Predictions
Look for the Hoyas to come out strong and confident in what should be a fairly routine victory unless Fair and Carter-Williams are able to catch the Hoyas off guard, early.
Live Stream
Watch the game on WatchESPN where available. Markets will vary.
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