(
)
In 1980, Georgetown and Syracuse met in the championship game of the first Big East Tournament. John Duren, Eric Floyd and Craig Shelton led the Hoyas to an 87-81 victory at the Providence Civic Center, signaling the beginning of not just one of the premier conference tournaments in the nation, but also one of its most intense rivalries.
Perhaps that’s why it is fitting the two schools meet tonight to determine which team advances to tomorrow’s finale of the final Big East Tournament as we’ve known it.
“It feels like it’s kind of destined,” Syracuse forward James Southerland said. “We’re just going to go out there and give it our all.”
Fifth-seeded Syracuse (24-8) needed to give its all to out-last fourth-seeded Pittsburgh, 62-59, yesterday while top-seeded Georgetown (25-5) used a suffocating second-half defense to turn back ninth-seeded Cincinnati, 62-43. It sets up a semifinal that is more than appropriate for what this tournament is beginning to signify, a retrospective of its past greatness. Georgetown and Syracuse figure prominently, sharing 12 Big East Tournament championships.
Hoyas coach John Thompson III called the match-up “terrific.” It’s fitting, too. Players and coaches are trained to focus only on the next game and not the sentimentality that surrounds it. Yet the significance of this event is not lost on the players, who dreamed of someday playing in this tournament.
“You grow up in D.C. watching Georgetown and the rivalry with Syracuse, St. John’s and Villanova and you want to be a part of that,” said Hoyas junior Markel Starks, from Accokeek, Md. “This is special mainly because all of D.C. is rooting for us. Having started the Big East and winning the first one and possibly having the chance to win the last one is special.”
Expect it be old-school tonight. The Hoyas and Orange haven’t strayed far from their Big East roots, meaning physical play and an emphasis on defense are still keys to success. Syracuse guard Michael Carter-Williams stole an errant pass from Pitt guard James Robinson in the final seconds to preserve the win, while Georgetown limited Cincinnati to just 19 second-half points.
“In the second half, I think we were much more attentive,” Thompson said.
On paper, the Hoyas are favored tonight. They are 15-1 as the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and swept the Orange this season, winning 57-46 at the Carrier Dome in February and 61-39 at Georgetown on Saturday.
But Syracuse has no fear.
“It feels better [that] we to get to play Georgetown again,” said senior guard Brandon Triche.
Georgetown will return next year as part of the revamped Big East. But Syracuse is off to the Atlantic Coast Conference. The schools might continue their rivalry, but it won’t ever quite be the same without it being part of the Big East.
The coaches — Thompson III, taking the role once filled by his father, and Jim Boeheim, who has been at Syracuse since the league’s inception — helped build this rivalry. So did the players. So did the alums who fill the building every March. For one final time it’s Georgetown vs. Syracuse in the Big East Tournament. Destined indeed.
george.willis@nypost.com