As Syracuse moves from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference, every college basketball fan can see the possible end of a phenomenal rivalry between the Georgetown Hoyas and the Orangemen. The tragic loss of Georgetown last night creates a sense of nostalgia and begs the questions, why such a huge rivalry?
The Hoyas and the Orangemen have always been the two powerhouses of the Big East. But it was in 1980 that tensions between the two teams become college basketball history.
The 1980 Orangemen were on a 57 game winning streak high. They went in confident, cocky one may say, to face the underdog Hoyas at Manley Field House, soon to be closed down for the new Syracuse Carrier Dome. The Hoyas defeated the Orangemen 52-50 prompting John Thompson to proudly declare, “Manley Field House is officially closed.”
The rivalry became even more intense at the 1984 Hoyas-Orangemen match up. It was the Big East tournament championship game so each player and fan were filled with anticipation. A squabble for a rebound caused Georgetown’s Michael Grahman to be ejected from the game for throwing a punch at an Orangemen. After a talk with the officially, Thompson was able to get Grahman back in the game. The rest of the game a series of ambiguous calls were made by the officials causing the Orangemen to become enraged. Georgetown defeated Syracuse again in over time. Then coach Jim Boeheim threw a chair and stormed out of the post game press conference.
In 1990 at the Carrier Dome in front of a crowd of 33,015, John Thompson was given three technical fouls on just one play. Due to this call, the Orangemen were able to score ten points in one possession.
The two teams have continued to have intense games since the 80s. According to any Georgetown fan, the Hoyas dominated ‘Cuse back then, but they always make for stiff competition now. The games are not only intense but they are reason for alumni to come back and for every Hoya to really get involved and care about the team. For the packed stadiums, crowded Acela club and excuse for Kegs and Eggs we thank you Orangemen. We will miss you but never fail to hate you.
Sources:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39291486@N08/4373443515
http://www.guhoyas.com/genrel/021609aab.html