Scouting the Georgetown Hoyas

Syracuse faces an old rival in the NCAA Tournament.

Syracuse. Georgetown. No we are not talking about the famous basketball rivalry between the Orange and the Hoyas, but a renewal of the lacrosse version. One without the same historical significance but also between two programs that are no stranger to one another. The last time the Orange and Hoyas met was in 2013 where Syracuse squeezed out a 9-8 win. Overall both squads have met 22 times with the Orange leading the series 17-5.

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A lot has changed for the Hoyas though since 2013. They are ranked in the NCAA tournament as a fifth seed while the Orange is unranked. The Hoyas are also this season's Big East champs with a 12-2 record. 

GEORGETOWN'S OFFENSE

Syracuse has faced some good passing teams this season including Albany, Notre Dame and North Carolina. Georgetown, however, is number one in the country in total assists (144) and assists per game (10.3). Despite that, Georgetown is only 19th in goals per game at 13.5. Syracuse, for comparison's sake, is 11th at 14.1 goals per game. That means the Hoyas get most of their goals off of passing and motion offense as opposed to isolation. Georgetown is only 30th in man-up offense. 

GEORGETOWN'S DEFENSE

Georgetown is the number one defense in the country in terms of fewest goals allowed per game at 7.93. The Hoyas are also number two in the country in only allowing a goal on man-up situations 20% of the time. Georgetown forces 8.93 turnovers per game, good for 13th in the country. Simply put, Georgetown is a stingy defense that is physical with opponents, is fundamentally sound and make offenses work for everything they get. 

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FACE-OFF

Georgetown is 12th in the nation with a face-off win percentage of 58.7%. 

BEST PLAYERS

A TJ Haley: Leads the nation in total assists (47) and assists per game (3.62). 

A James Carraway: Leads the team with 46 goals, 62 points and 30 turnovers.

D Joe LiCalzi: Second on the team with 14 caused turnovers. 

G Owen McElroy: Leads the nation in save percentage 60.5%. Allowing only 7.97 goals per game. 

FO James Reilly: Winning over 59% of face-offs. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

There is no question that Syracuse has its work cut out for it but head coach John Desko has been here before with a 34-14 in NCAA tournament play. Georgetown's only two losses on the season came against Denver and Loyola, two teams in the field. The Orange take on the Hoyas in College Park, Maryland on Saturday at 7:30 pm.