Arinze Onuaku Injured as Syracuse Falls to Georgetown in Big East Opener

NEW YORK — Arinze Onuaku crashed to the
floor and clutched his right knee, writhing in pain at Madison Square
Garden.

Suddenly, top-seeded Syracuse had more to worry
about than a loss in its Big East tournament opener.

Chris Wright scored 27 points and No. 22
Georgetown sailed past the third-ranked Orange with an impressive
second-half surge that yielded a 91-84 victory in the quarterfinals
Thursday.

Though still a strong candidate for a No. 1
seed in the NCAA tournament, Syracuse (28-4) sustained a potentially
costly loss when its starting center was injured with 5:07 remaining.

Onuaku landed awkwardly after trying to block
Greg Monroe's shot down low. Whistled for a foul on the play, he grabbed
his knee immediately and was tended to by medical staff and coach Jim
Boeheim before being helped off the floor. The senior did not return and
is expected to get an MRI exam.

Onuaku, who has struggled with knee pain
throughout his career, had surgery last spring.

"He has a strain. We don't know for sure if
it's any more than that. We'll find out," Boeheim said.

Austin Freeman added 18 points in his third
game since being diagnosed with diabetes. Jason Clark had 17 for the No.
8 seed Hoyas (22-9), who will play in the first semifinal Friday night
against fifth-seeded Marquette, an 80-76 winner over No. 10 Villanova.

Monroe had 15 points, 10 rebounds and a
team-high seven assists, skillfully dominating in the paint against
Syracuse's big and rugged front line.

"It's definitely a confidence boost," Wright
said. "I don't think this team lacks confidence. I just think we're
ready to play."

Playing before a lively crowd, Georgetown
rebounded from two losses to Syracuse earlier this season and took a 7-6
edge in Big East tournament games between the longtime rivals, the most
common matchup in the 31-year history of the event.

Five times they've played for the title, with
the Hoyas winning the first four before Syracuse broke through in 1992.

"I thought our guys did a pretty good job —
very good job, actually — of just trying to hunt and peck and make the
right decisions against their zone," said Georgetown coach John Thompson
III, whose famous father sat a couple of rows behind his former team's
bench.

Syracuse, which won the regular-season
conference championship, has dropped consecutive games for the first
time all season. Although the Orange are one of the most talented teams
in the country, they normally rotate only seven players, so losing any
one of them could hinder their chances for a national championship.

The 6-foot-9 Onuaku is the school's career
leader in field-goal percentage (64.9). He began the day averaging 10.7
points and 5.2 rebounds per game this season

"He's a key part of our team," Boeheim said.
"He's had a great year. And he's a tremendous player. We hope that he'll
be fine. We don't know."

Conference player of the year Wes Johnson led
Syracuse with 24 points and seven rebounds in his Big East tournament
debut.

Scoop Jardine added 19 points and Kris Joseph
18, both off the bench. Andy Rautins, who had 14 points and 10 assists,
keyed the spurt that gave the Orange a nine-point lead with 13:43 left,
then provided little down the stretch.

Little-used freshman guard Vee Sanford put the
Hoyas ahead 60-59 on a baseline floater with 10:37 to go, their first
lead in nearly 21 minutes since they were up 14-11. The basket was part
of a 13-0 run and 19-2 surge that gave Georgetown a 70-61 advantage with
7:24 left.

The Orange cut it to 74-72 on Jardine's two
free throws, but Monroe converted a pair of three-point plays as the
Hoyas pushed the lead back to 85-76 with 1:39 to go.

Georgetown shot 57.9 percent, overcoming a
37-10 deficit in bench points. The Hoyas reached the quarterfinals with a
69-49 victory Wednesday over South Florida.

It was the sixth time a No. 1 seed has dropped
its Big East tournament opener.