Georgetown vs Syracuse: 2024-25 College basketball game preview, TV schedule

Georgetown heads to Syracuse for the latest renewal of this old Big East rivalry; will the Hoyas get a notable road win or do the Orange take care of business and defend their home floor yet again?

TV schedule: Saturday, December 14, 2:30 pm ET. ACCN

Arena: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York

Last year was brutal at Georgetown (7-2) with just 9 wins and very little success in the Big East, though Ed Cooley is hoping that year two with the Hoyas proceeds much more smoothly. They’ve stockpiled early victories at home, though they did get worked in a 21-point home loss to Notre Dame nearly a month ago. They’re most significant challenge was last week at West Virginia and that also ended in double-digit defeat.

Freshman Thomas Sorber (15.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg) is a 4-star prospect who has already asserted himself as a major playmaker in Georgetown’s frontcourt. After monster numbers last season, Jayden Epps (14.2 ppg, 2.6 apg) is still leading the charge in the backcourt in his junior season. Additionally, Micah Peavy (13.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.9 apg) has had some nice early shooting figures and is a big piece of this team after spending the last three years out at TCU.

Georgetown is 87th in KenPom, 96th in the NET, and hasn’t really proven themselves against quality opponents this year. It’s hard to even look at this schedule at pinpoint which the best win is, because choosing between Albany, Mount St. Mary’s, and UMBC isn’t ideal. Still, this team is showing signs of growth and hasn’t suffered any rough upsets, though the 3-point shooting numbers are pretty abysmal.

On the other side, Syracuse (5-4) hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire themselves. This program just hasn’t been operating at a high level in recent years, though Adrian Autry is hoping his second year is much better as well. The Orange dropped tough games against Texas, Texas Tech, and Notre Dame while also getting plastered by Tennessee last week and similarly lack great wins on this resume.

First and foremost, the Orange lost leading scorer JJ Starling to a broken hand, meaning they’ll need even more from the rest of this lineup. Freshman forward Donnie Freeman (14.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg) is another talented frontcourt weapon showing strength in his initial collegiate action. Junior forward Chris Bell (12.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg) continues trying to build off a strong sophomore season while senior forward Jyare Davis (10.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg) is playing important minutes with good shooting figures after transferring from Delaware.

Another team far from the national rankings and attention, Syracuse is 99th in KenPom and 136th in the NET. The 3-point shots have not been falling with any regularity, though the frontcourt pieces we’ve mentioned have contributed nicely closer to the basket. The defense really let this team down in several of their games, including that rough game at Tennessee, while the depth of the backcourt is really tested with Starling sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Neither of these teams has beaten anyone of value and it’s easy to argue that that won’t change come Saturday. At this moment in time, neither of these teams look up to competing at the national level this season, though both are led by potent freshmen who are ready to prove they belong. Sorber and Freeman are unquestionably what we’ll have our eyes on in this matchup.

Syracuse’s defense could let them down, but the Hoyas haven’t exactly been getting the job done on offense this season. The team that makes shots will clearly have a better chance to win the game, but this is more about which of those stud freshmen stands out. The Orange really need someone like freshman Elijah Moore to be a leader in the backcourt, and we think they’ll get enough out of that unit to beat their rivals.

Prediction: Syracuse 74, Georgetown 70