NCAA Basketball: 25 best team rivalries heading into 2019-20 season

14. Georgetown Hoyas vs. Syracuse Orange

Without question, Georgetown versus Syracuse was one of the premier rivalries of the old Big East conference. The early days of the rivalry saw two Hall of Fame coaches with extremely talented teams battling hard both on and off the court.

The rivalry recently took a step back with Syracuse joining the ACC, but there’s an incredible amount of history to dive into with the Orange and the Hoyas.

They will no longer play twice a year, making Georgetown’s 51-43 lead seem even larger. These are two storied programs with national titles during their Big East reigns. One of the early memories from the rivalry is Georgetown’s upset win at No. 2 Syracuse in their final home game at Manley Field House, leading to famous comments from Hoyas coach John Thompson.

This was one of basketball’s most intense rivalries, with opposing players and coaches lambasted by loud, rambunctious fans on their way into these arenas.

During the 1984 Big East Tournament, Georgetown’s Michael Graham punched one of Syracuse’s players en route to a feisty overtime victory. More controversy would occur in 1990 when John Thompson was given three technical fouls and Syracuse won a close game because of those free throws.

Whether it be clutch game-winning shots from players like Pearl Washington or Eric Devendorf or intense confrontations, like Patrick Ewing’s punch of Washington in 1985, this rivalry has had its fair share of memorable moments.

Scheduling changes put the future of the rivalry in doubt, though they will play this coming December at Georgetown. These games may lack the excitement and intensity of the olden days, but perhaps these two great programs can put on a show for college basketball again.

Last year, Syracuse erased a 13-point halftime deficit and got a Tyus Battle game-winning shot; what will happen this year?