The Syracuse-Georgetown rivalry resumes

The Syracuse Orange will host the Georgetown Hoyas at the Carrier Dome on Saturday for the first time since 2013. Once the most heated rivalry in the famous old Big East, the rivalry between Syracuse and Georgetown suffered a blow when Syracuse left the Big East to join the ACC.

The rivalry dates all the way back to 1930 when the Orange defeated the Hoyas in their first ever matchup, 40-18. Since then, the two teams have faced off against each other 91 times with Syracuse holding the all-time record, 49-42.

Today, Duke-North Carolina and Louisville-Kentucky are the biggest rivalries in college basketball, but at a time Syracuse-Georgetown was among the best rivalries in the game.

Many will say the addition of Syracuse along with Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Louisville to the ACC was good for college basketball and in many regards it was. It added prestigious basketball schools to an already great conference and made the level of competition even tougher. However, many Syracuse fans will say they wished the Orange would have stayed in the Big East if only to continue to play Georgetown on a regular basis.

The rivalry may have been lost for a few years, but it is not dead. The tension between the two programs is still felt to this day, even to the current Syracuse students who have never seen the two teams play each other at the Carrier Dome while attending the school.

The rivalry is not dead but in hibernation. It is ready to wake up and that time is now. It’s only right that the two schools have agreed to renew the rivalry. In addition to Saturday, the two teams will play each other in 2017 and 2018 with it being rumored that the game will become a yearly tradition. It’s right that those fans who grew up watching this rivalry in the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s when some of the greatest college basketball moments were made will continue to be able to be a part of future moments.

There have been many unforgettable moments as shown in the video above. Sports are better with rivalries. The extra tension between the two teams and fan bases is what makes the games so much better. Syracuse will honor former Orange star Pearl Washington who passed away earlier this year. The height of the rivalry between the two teams was when Syracuse’s Washington faced Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing. Saturday will be a sad day as the teams and fans mourn Washington’s passing, but it will also be a time of remembrance. A remembrance of Washington's life but also of all the great moments in this rivalry. The rivalry is awakening and there is still plenty of history to be made.