GAME NOTES: The eighth-ranked Georgetown Hoyas are set to collide with the Syracuse Orange, as the Big East foes add another chapter to their storied rivalry. With Louisville and Notre Dame playing so well, Georgetown needs a victory tonight to maintain a hold on first place in the conference. The Hoyas are coming off a controversial 55-53 victory over Villanova on Monday, and seven of the last eight games have resulted in wins. Only once this season has an opponent scored more than 69 points against Georgetown, as still-undefeated and top-ranked Memphis posted 85 points back in December. As for Syracuse, it has lost its last two games to fall to 6-6 in league play, overshadowing a more impressive 16-9 overall record. The most recent defeat came on Wednesday by an 89-78 final to South Florida, and while the Orange are just 3-4 in true road games, they own a 12-4 mark at the Carrier Dome. The first meeting of the season between Georgetown and Syracuse was thrilling, as the Hoyas escaped with a 64-62 overtime win. Still, the Orange hold a 42-36 lead in the all-time series.

Georgetown committed 18 turnovers and shot a lackluster 40 percent from the floor against Villanova on Monday, but the Hoyas were able to win in regulation thanks to possibly the worst referee decision of the entire season. In the closing seconds, Jonathan Wallace grabbed a defensive rebound and began dribbling up the court. He brushed by a defender and a foul was inexplicably called, sending the best free-throw shooter in Georgetown history to the charity stripe with under one second remaining. He calmly knocked down both attempts, lifting the Hoyas to victory. The Hoyas are scoring 70.1 ppg this season on 49.2 percent shooting from the floor, and they are limiting opponents to 56.7 ppg on 35.3 percent field goal efficiency. Roy Hibbert leads the team with 13.2 ppg and 6.8 rpg, but he is not nearly as dominant as one would expect from a 7-2 center with his skill set. Hibbert needs to become more assertive at the offensive end. It should be mentioned that he only averages 26 minutes of action per game.

In the loss to South Florida on Wednesday, Syracuse shot an impressive 53.6 percent from the floor and racked up 21 assists. Unfortunately, the squad was outscored 26-15 from the foul line and allowed 57.1 percent overall shooting to the Bulls. Leading the way in the setback for the Orange was Donte Greene, who tallied 17 points and nine assists. On a down note, he failed to register an assists and turned the ball over six times. Jonny Flynn added 16 points and six assists, and Paul Harris had 14 points and six assists. Greene is scoring 17.9 ppg this season to go along with 7.4 rpg. Flynn adds 15.4 ppg and 5.0 apg, and both he and Greene have been tremendously productive considering their inexperience. Harris is generating 13.9 ppg and 8.8 rpg, while Arinze Onuaku checks in with 12.6 ppg and 8.0 rpg.

Expect an upset today, as Syracuse is undoubtedly eager to avenge the narrow loss to Georgetown in the first meeting. The Orange will attempt to push the tempo against the Hoyas and will find success doing so.