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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
NEW YORK (AP) -- Coach Jim Boeheim was blunt about top-seeded
Syracuse's 76-72 flameout Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big
East tournament against Georgetown.
|  | | Kevin Braswell, who scored 20 points for Georgetown, drives against Syracuse's Etan Thomas. |
The Orangemen were awful and Boeheim found a variety of ways to
say it.
"This had nothing to do with Georgetown," Boeheim said. "The
problem was Syracuse. This was the worst we played for a while. I
didn't see any leadership or effort until there were 10 minutes to
go in the game."
And by then, Georgetown had the idea it could win and pulled off
the upset.
"We had no defensive intensity at all," Boeheim continued.
"Georgetown killed us from the start."
The loss almost certainly will impact on Syracuse's seeding for
the NCAA Tournament. Boeheim, however, had bigger concerns than
that.
"We can't come out and play like this or we'll lose to anybody
in the first round," he said. "I hope we learn the lesson this
week rather than next week."
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Orange crushed
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NEW YORK -- Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim couldn't understand
how the Orangemen had to struggle to get in the top five when they were
undefeated. After last Saturday's loss at Connecticut, he was convinced the
Orangemen would have to fight for a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NCAA
Tournament, even if they won the Big East tournament.
He's not expecting any favors after the top-seeded Orangemen lost to
ninth-seeded Georgetown in Thursday's quarterfinals. A fourth seed may be a
reach, a fifth seed more realistic.
"We lost to St. John's by one point here and dropped five or six places in
the polls," Boeheim said. "Duke lost by one point at home and dropped two
places. It's obvious we haven't gotten much respect this year in the league.
I'm sure we're going to drop."
The Orangemen saved their worst game of the season for Thursday, failing to keep
Georgetown point guard Kevin Braswell in front of them on the perimeter and unable to keep Ruben Boumtje Boumtje and Lee Scruggs out of the middle of the lane.
"This game had nothing to do with Georgetown, it had to do with Syracuse,"
Boeheim said. "This is the worst we've played all year. We've been a pretty
consistent team, with pretty good leadership. I didn't see any leadership. I
didn't see any effort until about 10 minutes to go in the game."
Meanwhile, Georgetown is the spoiler in this tournament. The Hoyas would
have a hard time making an argument for at-large berth with only six
conference wins. But Georgetown does have a legitimate chance to move into
the final, giving them a realistic shot at the automatic berth.
Braswell scored 20 points, mostly by getting to the line. He hit 10 of 12 free throws,
as the Hoyas dominated play in the paint with 27 shots from the line. Braswell is
the early favorite for MVP of the tournament after he made a 3-pointer to
beat West Virginia. Boumtje Boumtje didn't play against West Virginia
because of a sprained ankle, but didn't look hurt Thursday. Scruggs was a
dominant force inside with 20 and nine rebounds.
The Hoyas played zone to frustrate the Orangemen, who were 7 of 20 on 3s,
after shooting 1 of 12 in the loss to the Huskies last Saturday. Braswell's
defense was just as sound as his offense, keeping Orangemen point Jason Hart
in front of him on each possession.
"We've won 18 games and I don't know what the committee will do with us if
we lose our next one," Georgetown coach Craig Esherick said. "But I knew
this was a new season when we came here. I told the guys to pack for four
days. That's what I did and I'm sure they did too."
-- Andy Katz, ESPN.com
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The Hoyas (18-13) took advantage of Syracuse's lethargy and some
sparkling guard play by Kevin Braswell to shoot down the No. 12
Orangemen. Braswell, who had 20 points, made nine free throws down
the stretch and had a key interception to seal the shocker. It was
his 3-pointer in the final second that beat West Virginia in the
Big East opener.
"Braswell finally turned himself into a point guard," said
Georgetown coach Craig Esherick, who had a long talk with the
sophomore on the eve of the tournament. "The chat we had the other
day will last us all the way through March."
It was just the third time in the 21-year history of the
tournament that a top seed has been knocked off in the
quarterfinals of this tournament and the second time it has
happened to the Orangemen. It also was the first time in Big East
history that a No. 9 seed has defeated a No. 1.
Lee Scruggs also had 20 for Georgetown, including a stretch of
nine of 11 points as the Hoyas built a 33-30 halftime lead to as
many as 10 points. Scruggs also had nine rebounds.
Syracuse (24-5) helped the Hoyas by going just 1-for-15 from the
field to start the second half.
With the Orangemen frantically trying to catch the Hoyas in the
final minutes, Jason Hart was fouled on a 3-point shot. But he made
just one of three free throws, leaving the Orangemen trailing
70-65.
After Ryan Blackwell cut the lead to three points, Demetrius
Hunter dropped in two foul shots to restore the five-point edge. As
Syracuse rushed down court, Braswell stepped in front of a pass by
Hart for the key interception with 21.8 second remaining. He
dropped in four straight free throws in the final 18 seconds to
finish off the victory for Georgetown.
The Hoyas got off to a 9-2 lead but Syracuse went a 15-2 run
punctuated by two thunderous dunks by Etan Thomas to take the lead
at 17-11. Georgetown came right back as Braswell nailed consecutive
3-pointers and Scruggs added two baskets in a 15-0 spurt to regain
the lead at 26-17. The Hoyas, who lost by 15 points to Syracuse on
Feb. 27, never trailed again.
Thomas led Syracuse with 17 points and 13 rebounds while Damone
Brown scored 15, all in the second half and Hart and DeShaun
Williams each scored 11.
The only other No. 1 seeds to lose Big East quarters were Boston
College against Providence in 1981 and Syracuse against Villanova
in 1991.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Georgetown Clubhouse
Syracuse Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Etan Thomas throws a block party in NYC.
avi: 580 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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