by Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

Georgetown vs. Syracuse.

It’s one of college basketball’s greatest rivalries between two storied programs.

The curtains aren’t necessarily closing on Georgetown-Syracuse, a rivalry unmatched in its heyday in the 1980s, but the matchup won’t ever have the same meaning it has when both teams battled in Big East wars.

With Syracuse departing the Big East to join the Atlantic Coast Conference and Georgetown’s leaving as one of the Catholic 7 planning to form a new league, Saturday’s contest at the Carrier Dome will mark the last clash between the two teams while members of the same conference. That’s the reason for an NCAA on-campus record crowd of more than 35,000.

“It’s not the same when you’re not in the same league,” Boeheim said. “It will never be the same.

“At one time, for a 10- or 15-year period, it was probably the No. 1 rivalry in the country.”

The teams have played 87 times since 1930, and 20 games have been decided by two points or less, 39 by five or fewer, and 12 that have gone to overtime.

To celebrate the rivalry’s tradition, here’s a list of some of the best moments:

1. Manley Field House is officially closed: On, Feb. 13, 1980, Georgetown stunned No. 2 Syracuse 52-50 in the final game at Manley Field House to snap the Orange’s 57-game homecourt winning streak. After the win Hoyas coach John Thompson Jr. declared, “Manley Field House is officially closed.”

2. Pearl’s shot: On Jan. 28, 1985, a Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown was the defending national champion and came into the Carrier Dome as the No. 1 team in the country with an 18-1 record. The Hoyas held a 63-62 lead, but with 16 seconds remaining, always-flashy Dwayne “Pearl” Washington sank a jumper from 15-feet to give the Orange the lead and secure a narrow 65-63 victory.

3. Michael Graham’s punch: On March 10, 1984, during the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, tempers flared perhaps the most ever throughout the storied rivalry when Georgetown’s Michael Graham punched Syracuse’s Andre Hawkins after fighting for a rebound in a close game. Referee Dick Paparo … [For more on Best moments in Syracuse-Georgetown Big East rivalry, click here.]