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USATSI

The Syracuse Orange host once-fierce rivals the Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday in a non-conference men's college basketball matchup at the JMA Wireless Dome. The teams built one of the biggest rivalries in the sport during the emergence of the Big East in the 1980's. Syracuse moved to the ACC in 2013 and Georgetown has gone into a tailspin in recent years, but the rivalry still has importance among the players. The Orange (5-4) come off an emphatic 95-66 rout of Oakland on Tuesday, following a 1-point road upset of Notre Dame last Saturday. The Hoyas (5-5) bounced back from an overtime loss to South Carolina last Saturday with a 75-69 victory against Siena on Wednesday. The Orange lead the all-time series 51-44, but the Hoyas took a 79-75 home win in the most recent meeting last December.

Tip-off in Syracuse, N.Y. is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Orange as 8.5-point favorites in its latest Georgetown vs. Syracuse odds, and the over/under for total points scored is set at 144.5. Before making any Syracuse vs. Georgetown picks, you need to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer simulation model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated more than $1,400 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Syracuse vs. Georgetown and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several college basketball odds and betting lines and trends for Georgetown vs. Syracuse:

  • Syracuse vs. Georgetown spread: Syracuse -8.5
  • Syracuse vs. Georgetown over/under: 144.5 points
  • Syracuse vs. Georgetown money line: Hoyas +320, Orange -420
  • GTOWN: Primo Spears has scored at least 18 in four of its five victories.
  • SYR: The Orange are 5-0 when Joe Girard scores 15 points or more.
  • Syracuse vs. Georgetown picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Syracuse can cover

Syracuse tipped off a six-game homestand against Oakland and should have a distinct advantage in the Carrier Dome. They are 3-2 straight-up and against the spread at home this season. The impressive performance Tuesday should build some confidence, and while the Orange had a middling 16-17 campaign last season, the Hoyas went 6-25. Jesse Edwards was 9-for-9 from the field to score 18 points Tuesday and added seven rebounds and two steals. Joe Girard also scored 18 points, hitting four of seven from three-point range, and had six assists.

Edwards averages 15.1 points and 11.1 rebounds, and Girard scores 14.7. Syracuse scores almost three points more per game (74.0-72.2) and allows more than four points fewer (68.9-73.3) than the Hoyas. The Orange scored 18 straight points to close the first half Tuesday against the Grizzlies and led by as many as 42. That allowed coach Jim Boeheim to get some work for his young players. Freshman Maliq Brown played his best game so far, finishing with career-highs in points (12) and rebounds (seven) as five players scored in double figures.  

Why Georgetown can cover

Georgetown also should have a bit of confidence after a victory, and coach Patrick Ewing should have them amped up to face their rivals. He has a strong trio of scorers in Brandon Murray, Primo Spears and Jay Heath. Murray scored 20 points against Siena and averages 16 points and 3.9 rebounds, while Spears scores 16.7 points and adds 3.6 rebounds. The pair also combines for nine assists per game. Heath scores 14.6 points and shoots 40% from 3-point range. The Hoyas hit 33.9 percent from outside, while the Orange are at 31.7.

Oakland didn't have an answer for the 6-foot-11 Edwards inside on Tuesday, but the Hoyas won't have that problem. Qudus Wahab, who averages 10.3 points and 7.4 rebounds, and Akok Akok, who grabs a team-high 7.6 boards and blocks 2.1 shots per game, will make Edwards work for his shots. The Hoyas also average two more offensive rebounds per game (10.8-8.8) than the Orange, so they should get plenty of second chances. The Hoyas are 3-3 ATS with the rest disadvantage this season and 6-5-1 ATS on the road since the start of last season.

How to make Georgetown vs. Syracuse picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 146 total points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Syracuse vs. Georgetown? And which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.