SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 23: A t-shirt with the phrase 'Beat Georgetown' is seen in the student section prior to the game between the Syracuse Orange and the Georgetown Hoyas at the Carrier Dome on February 23, 2013 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Nate Shron/Getty Images)

Syracuse Football: Andre Szmyt goes from walk on to Lou Groza award by Paul A. Esden Jr.

One of the most storied rivalries in college basketball continues this weekend, as Syracuse will do battle with Georgetown.

Game on.

That’s how I feel about the upcoming duel between the SU hoops outfit and former Big East Conference foe Georgetown.

These two programs have competed nearly 100 times, dating back to 1930. And other than perhaps Duke and North Carolina, no two teams like each other as little as the ‘Cuse and the Hoyas.

Sure, the Orange now suits up in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Georgetown is in the retooled Big East. But come this Saturday afternoon, inside the Carrier Dome and televised on ESPN, throw those conference alignments out the window.

This match-up will undoubtedly amount to a heavyweight fight until the final buzzer sounds. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Since Syracuse joined the ACC for the 2013-14 term, SU has gone 1-2 versus the Hoyas, most recently taking down Georgetown last December, 86-79 in overtime, on the Hoyas’ own turf in our nation’s capital.

I attended that affair, with the ultimate outcome certainly proving sweet. Overall in its series with Georgetown, the ‘Cuse holds a 50-43 edge.

Both units enter this tantalizing encounter on a high note.

The Orange (6-2), which smoked Northeastern at home earlier this week, has landed four victories in a row. The Hoyas (7-1), on the other hand, have also generated four-straight triumphs, including a conquest of Liberty this past Monday night.

Georgetown’s lone loss of the 2018-19 campaign came at the hands of Loyola Marymount on a neutral site in mid-November. The Hoyas, 1-0 on the road to date, don’t have an impressive non-conference resume at this juncture, but that could all change with a win in Central New York, where Syracuse is presently 5-0.

When delving into various statistical categories, Georgetown and SU appear pretty even, at least on paper. The Hoyas produce more points per contest, but also allow more scoring on defense. Rebounding is virtually identical. Georgetown has advantages in assists and blocks, while the ‘Cuse snares more steals.

Unsurprisingly, the Hoyas are a superior-shooting crew from the field as a whole, along with the charity stripe and from downtown. In a nutshell, the Orange must excel in all phases of the game if it wants to prevail.

Hopefully, the Carrier Dome crowd will also provide a boost to the Syracuse roster. Let’s support our guys, ‘Cuse Nation. SU and Georgetown – it doesn’t get any better than this.