Terrence Roberts is one of four seniors playing in their last home game on Monday.
Senior Night. ESPN Big Monday. Syracuse-Georgetown. Need We Say More?
2/25/2007 3:50:18 PM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse (20-8, 9-5) concludes its home schedule against BIG EAST leader and arch rival #12/12 Georgetown (22-5, 12-2) at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 26 in the Carrier Dome. It is the final home game in the careers of SU seniors Matt Gorman, Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts, and Darryl Watkins. The quartet will be honored in a brief ceremony prior to tip off. Monday's game will be televised live nationally on ESPN. Live audio of the contest can be heard on SUathletics.com via Orange All Access and fans can also tune in to the Syracuse ISP Sports Network broadcast on WAQX (95.7 FM) and WNSS (1260 AM). Sirius Satellite Radio subscribers can hear the game on channel 199.
Gorman is the last player with ties to SU’s 2003 national championship. He was a true freshman during that magical season. Gorman has started five games for the Orange in 2006-07, his first outings with SU’s starting unit. He is shooting 50 percent (12-24) from 3-point range this year. Gorman has appeared in 68 games in his career.
Nichols has had a fantastic final campaign. He leads the BIG EAST conference in overall scoring (18.9 ppg) and is shooting 43.2 percent from 3-point range, which is on pace for the third-best season percentage in school history. Earlier this year, he etched his name in SU’s 1,000-point club, and hung a career-best 37 points on St. John’s in a win at the Dome, the most points ever for an Orange man in a BIG EAST game. For his career, he has played in 116 games with 82 starts. His 181 career three’s ranks fifth on SU’s all-time list.
Roberts has been hampered by an injured knee, but is SU’s leading rebounder this season at 7.8 per contest, which ranks seventh in the conference. He is averaging 9.1 points per game in 2006-07. Roberts has appeared in 120 games in his SU career and has amassed 653 rebounds.
Watkins will go down as one of the best shot blockers in school history. He ranks seventh nationally in rejections at 3.5 per game and he sixth in career blocks at SU (242). His 91 swats this year is tied for eighth on the Orange’s single-season ledger. Watkins is averaging 8.7 points and 7.3 rebounds this year. Monday’s game will be the 100th of his career.
Syracuse reached the 20-win plateau for the 29th time under head coach Jim Boeheim with a 71-67 win at Providence on Saturday. Nichols hit the go-ahead three for SU with 37 seconds left, and sophomore Eric Devendorf and freshman Paul Harris made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to seal the win. It was an important victory for the Orange as it continues to strengthen its NCAA Tournament resume. In addition to its pairing with the Hoyas, SU has one final regular-season game at Villanova as well as the conference tournament to impress the selection committee before Selection Sunday.
At Providence, the Orange offense was paced by sophomore Andy Rautins who finished with a career-best 19 points in his return to the starting lineup. Rautins has been in double figures in each of SU’s last four games and five of the last six. He made five three’s against the Friars.
After struggling early on, the Hoyas enter Monday’s affair as one of the hottest teams in the nation. They have won their last 11 outings. The last time Georgetown suffered a defeat was on Jan. 13 at Pittsburgh. The Hoyas avenged that loss with a comeback win against the Panthers on Saturday, 61-53. The victory improved Georgetown’s overall record to 22-5 and they sit atop the league standings with a 12-2 conference mark.
Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert are the Hoyas’ primary offensive weapons. Both players have started all 27 games. Green leads the team in scoring at 13.7 ppg and Hibbert is right behind him at 12.7 ppg. Green is the Hoyas’ top assists man (98,) and Hibbert is a force on defense. He has 64 rejections this season. The only other player to start all 27 games for Coach John Thompson III is Jonathan Wallace. He is also averaging double-figure points at 11.4 per contest.
Thompson III is in his third season as coach of the Hoyas. He is 64-28 since taking over the program from Craig Esherick. Thompson III is the son of long-time Georgetown mentor John Thompson Jr, who guided the school to 596 wins in 27 seasons and the 1984 NCAA Championship. Thompson Jr., along with Boeheim were two of BIG EAST basketball’s founding fathers and engaged in several memorable matchups.
The Orange leads the all-time series with the Hoyas, 41-35, and SU is 25-10 in games played in Syracuse. The Orange won the last meeting, defeating Georgetown by the score of 58-57 last March on its way to the 2006 BIG EAST Championship.
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