NewhouseSports SMC: Georgetown Hands Syracuse 79-72 Loss in Mike Hopkins' Debut

Story and photos by Ellen Burr

Washington, D.C. -- Syracuse men's basketball (6-2) fell to Georgetown (4-3) 79-72 in a battle of former Big East rivals at the Verizon Center, Saturday afternoon, handing Mike Hopkins a loss to start his head-coaching career.

The Orange and the Hoyas traded baskets for the first six minutes of the game. But Georgetown went on an 8-point run and took control, leading 36-24 at the half. Georgetown used its size advantage to build the lead to as much as 21 in the second half and while the Orange made a late run, the Hoyas never seemed truly threatened.

Hopkins’ Head Coaching Debut

The game was Mike Hopkins’ first as interim head coach of the Orange. The NCAA announced on Thursday that Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim’s nine-game suspension would be upheld. But instead of serving it at the start of the ACC slate, the suspension would be effective immediately, giving Hopkins two days to prepare for his head coaching debut.

A disappointed Hopkins choked back tears after the game as he talked about Boeheim's absence.

"Imagine all of a sudden somebody came and told you you can't talk to your father for a month," Hopkins said. "I wanted this one for him."

This year marks the 21^st season that Hopkins has served on the Orange coaching staff. Before that, he played under Coach Boeheim, giving him a total of 25 years under Boeheim’s tutelage. In June, Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud announced Hopkins will be the head coach after Boeheim retires in 2018.

Despite the loss to the Hoyas today, Orange players voiced their confidence in “Coach Hop” as the future head coach of the program.

"It's a tough situation to be in, but I think he's handling it very well," graduate student Trevor Cooney said. "He's going to just coach us and we're going to give it all for him."

Revived Rivalry

As the Orange took the court to warm up, jeers echoed through the Verizon Center. A packed arena, awash with grey and navy and some smaller patches of orange, watched the clash of two former Big East foes.

A video highlighting the history of the two teams kicked off the game, calling the Syracuse-Georgetown matchup “one of the greatest rivalries in college sports.” Syracuse and Georgetown were both original members of the once dominant Big East conference.

The overall series between the two teams is close, with the Orange maintaining a 49-42 edge over the Hoyas. The last time the two teams faced off was in the 2013 Big East Tournament semifinals, which Syracuse won in overtime, 58-55.

Hoyas Dominate First Half

Georgetown found the Orange’s Achilles' heel early in the game, dominating the boards inside. The Hoyas’ big men, Bradley Hayes, Marcus Derrickson, and Isaac Copeland, controlled the paint in the first half, their 250+ pound frames knocking around Syracuse freshman center Tyler Lydon’s lankier body.

The 7-foot Hayes, a senior, led the Hoyas in the first half with 8 points and 5 rebounds. He would be heard from again in the second half, a lot.

Syracuse, a team reliant on three-point shooting, was 2 for 12 from the perimeter in the first half. It took 14 minutes and seven missed threes before Cooney finally sank a shot from the three-point line.

Syracuse’s Tyler Roberson provided a brief glimmer of hope late in the first half, leading the team with 10 points and 6 rebounds. But that glimmer was quickly eclipsed when the junior forward received his third foul of the game with a minute left in the half.

Trend Continues Through Second Half

Georgetown maintained its momentum through the second half, ultimately out-rebounding the Orange 36-27. Hayes continued to put on a clinic in the paint, finishing the game with a team-high 21 points and 11 rebounds.

With Tyler Roberson in foul trouble after the first half, Hopkins drew deeper into the Orange’s bench, with both DaJuan Coleman and Frank Howard getting more playing time than they had under Coach Boeheim. Coleman played a total of 21 minutes. His bulkier body provided the Orange with more of an offensive presence in the paint. The red-shirt senior finished with 10 points. Freshman Howard saw a season-high 13 minutes on the court, finishing with 4 points.

While the Orange outscored the Hoyas 33-21 in the last 10:32 of the game, the Hoyas’ lead proved to be too much for Syracuse to overcome. The Verizon Center roared with the cheers of Georgetown fans as the clock ran down in the game's final seconds.

The Orange closed the rebounding gap to 35-32 with a strong second-half effort but the Hoyas shot 48.1-percent for the game to Syracuse's 38.1.

SU was 17-21 from the free throw line, a huge improvement over Wednesday's loss to Wisconsin, when it was 11-20. Georgetown hit 21 of 29.

Up Next

The Orange returns to the Carrier Dome to host its neighbor university’s team, Colgate next. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m. this Tuesday, Dec. 8.

Photos: click on any picture to start slide show.