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Take Points With Georgetown vs Syracuse

· Dec 08 - 3 minutes read

After reviewing the college basketball odds on Saturday, we found this late-morning clash between former Big East foes. We believe one team has a noticeable advantage and will be including the home team in our college basketball picks.

Recent Matchups

Syracuse enters having won three of its last four games, including an 81-70 victory over Cornell on Tuesday night. The Orange covered as a 4½-point home chalk, with sophomore Judah Mintz dropping a game-high 28 points.

Georgetown watched its four-game winning streak come to a crashing halt last Saturday due to an officiating error. With time running out, TCU’s Emanuel Miller caught a halfcourt pass from teammate Micah Peavy and banked the game-winning bucket as the buzzer sounded.

There was a not-so-minor problem. Miller had stepped out of bounds while heaving up the winning shot but, because there was no call on the floor, the bucket stood despite video replay evidence confirming the infraction.

It was a regrettable loss for Georgetown but it was nonetheless an impressive effort. The Hoyas entered as 9½-point home underdogs and would have won the game had it not been for the officiating error.

Orange vs Hoyas Best Bet

The Orange like to push the tempo of a game while the Hoyas are much more deliberate. I believe Georgetown will keep this game at a leisurely pace and frustrate Syracuse. The Orange shoot often but they don’t shoot well, currently ranked 248th and hitting at a 44.4% clip while their 3-point shooting checks in at a woeful 32.4%, placing them 224th in that category.

Compare that to Georgetown, a team armed with several long-range assassins. Jayden Epps and Jay Heath are chief among them, both hitting over 40% from beyond the arc. As a team, the Hoyas are ranked 29th in three-point land efficiency and are also shooting nearly 46% from the field.

Both teams average north of 38 rebounds per game so there will be a stalemate on the glass, but the Orange own a slight advantage defensively, allowing 71.1 points versus 72.9 points per game for Georgetown. This won’t be a dealbreaker by any means since the Hoyas will control the pace and tempo of the game and should be able to have their way from outside.

I realize college basketball predictions come in all shapes and sizes with some emphasizing the emotional angle while others, like me, stick to stats and historical trends. In this case, I have read that some are counting on Georgetown being deflated because of its unfair loss to TCU.

However, I feel that will work in Georgetown’s favor. If the Hoyas can stand toe-to-toe with a team like the Horned Frogs, they can compete with just about anyone. Go to your sportsbook and bet the Hoyas in your college basketball picks on Saturday!