Jim Boeheim is not going to like it but all eyes will be on him Wednesday night, as his No. 2-ranked Syracuse Orange host No. 12 Georgetown Hoyas in a Big East Conference men's basketball game (7 p.m. on ESPNU) at the Carrier Dome. The Orange (23-1, 10-1 Big East) will be trying to help their head coach earn his 880th-career victory and surpass former North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Dean Smith for third all-time on the Division I victory list.
So far, during arguably one of Boeheim's greatest regular seasons to date, the man who has spent 36 seasons coaching in Syracuse has leapfrogged former Kentucky Wildcats headman Adolph Rupp and is currently just 23 victories behind Bobby Knight.
Syracuse will be looking to extended its current win streak to four games after falling for the first and only time this season at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Jan. 21.
Since then, the Orange have knocked off the Cincinnati Bearcats, 60-53, West Virginia Mountaineers, 63-61, and St. John's Red Storm, 95-70, respectively. The solid bounce back has helped first-place Syracuse earn a commanding two-game lead in the Big East standings, which is 2 1/2-games ahead of third-place Georgetown.
Final Score: Syracuse Routs St. John's, 95-70
In Saturday's victory over the Red Storm, the Orange welcomed the return of sophomore center Fab Melo, who had missed the previous three contests because of an academic issue that stemmed from the first semester -- Melo's issue has been resolved and he should be cleared to play for the remainder of the regular and postseason.
In his return, Melo netted a collegiate-best 14 points while tallying three rebounds and two blocks. Sophomores, guard Dion Waiters and forward C.J. Fair, led all SU scorers with 14 points, while senior forward Kris Joseph chipped in with 13 and seven rebounds in the rout.
Meanwhile, the Hoyas (18-4, 8-3) is coming off a solid back-to-back victories over the South Florida Bulls, 75-45, and the Connecticut Huskies, 58-44.
Syracuse Basketball (Video): Michael Carter-Williams Dunk Over Gods'gift Achiuwa
Georgetown, which was picked to finish in 10th place in the preseason coaches poll, has collected wins in five of their last six games. A victory Wednesday, could help the Hoyas make a late-run at the Orange for the top spot in the conference, as their schedule's toughness eases up a bit, while SU's gets harder.
Overall, senior guard Jason Clark is averaging a team-best 15.0 ppg and shooting a scorching 50-percent from the field, while junior forward Hollis Thompson is second-best with13.7 ppg.
As of late, senior center Henry Sims has been outstanding averaging 12.8 ppg, 6.8 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game and 1.6 blocks per game in the Hoyas' last five games. Sims is also the only player in the Big East in the top 15 in assists and blocker per game.
The Hoyas enter the game winning two of the last three against the Orange, who are 9-point favorites.
For more on Syracuse Basketball, check back to this StoryStream. Check out, the SB Nation's blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician to discuss everything on the Orange, while the Casual Hoya is all about Georgetown.
Make sure to follow along on Twitter at SBNationNY or JaredSmithCNY, as we blog live from the Carrier Dome for Syracuse vs. Georgetown Wednesday night.