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Thursday features the rematch between bitter rivals Georgetown and Syracuse, this one taking place at the Verizon Center. The Hoyas started out the first meeting like a house afire thanks primarily to Austin Freeman, scoring the first fourteen points of the contest. But from there it was all Syracuse, who outscored the Hoyas by 31 on their way to a 73-56 win that they picked up going away.

No. 5 Syracuse at No. 10 Georgetown (7:00 PM, ESPN2)

Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest - 16.0, 11.0, 1.5)

Luke Babbitt (Nevada - 21.3, 9.7, 1.9)

Jordan Crawford (Xavier - 19.7, 4.8, 2.8)

Sylven Landesburg (Virginia - 18.1, 5.2, 2.9)

Greg Monroe (Georgetown - 15.4, 9.5, 3.6)

Isaiah Thomas (Washington - 17.4, 4.4, 2.6)

Klay Thompson (Washington St - 21.1, 4.8, 2.5)

Willie Warren (Oklahoma - 16.2, 3.5, 4.2)

Elliot Williams (Memphis 19.2, 4.3, 3.9)

Other (Davis, Ebanks, English, Fortson, Green, Rosario, Thompkins, Walker, White)

While "Snowpocalypse" may have cut down on the number of fans able to get down to the Verizon Center it did nothing to the offensive execution of the Georgetown Hoyas. John Thompson III's team did whatever they wanted in the first half, shooting 55.6% from the field (including 8-13 behind the arc) in taking a 50-31 halftime lead. The star of the half: Jason Clark, who scored seventeen points (4-4 3PT) fourteen minutes of action. Austin Freeman added twelve and Villanova played the role of willing prey by turning the ball over sixteen times.

The showcase game on Saturday tips off at high noon, with Georgetown hosting Villanova in a rematch of their meeting back on January 17th. John Thompson III's team has lost three of their last six and could use a win here to both get back on the right track and improve their resume in regards to possible NCAA Tournament seeding. Both Greg Monroe and Austin Freeman had quiet second halves in their 72-64 loss to USF on Wednesday night, and on a team with four consistent scoring options (Chris Wright and Jason Clark complete the quartet) that can't happen if Georgetown is to be successful.

Some games are simply more interesting than others, whether it be to the quality on display, the importance of the game, or the pace of play. These fives games will get you excited, not just for 2 hours, but for what's to come in March.

#12 BYU at UNLV - 4:00 Versus

The "Octagon of Doom" offered up a charged atmosphere on Saturday night, a given when the rival Kansas Jayhawks are in the building. And the game didn't disappoint either, requiring an extra five minutes and a great play from Sherron Collins to determine the winner. With the 81-79 win the Jayhawks assume total control of the Big 12 race and stand a good chance of taking over the top spot in the national polls come Monday.

Jerome Dyson (UCONN, 19.5 ppg, 5.0 apg)

Luke Harangody (Notre Dame, 24.7 ppg, 9.9 rpg)

Jeremy Hazell (Seton Hall, 22.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg)

Wesley Johnson (Syracuse, 17.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg)

Greg Monroe (Georgetown, 14.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg)

Scottie Reynolds (Villanova, 18.7 ppg, 3.4 apg)

Other (Da'Sean Butler, Dominique Jones, Lazar Hayward, etc)

Monday's rivalry game between Georgetown and Syracuse didn't get off to the best of starts for the home team, who fell behind 14-0 before the game was even three minutes old thanks primarily to the shooting of Austin Freeman (3-3 from deep during that sequence) with a Jason Clark trey being the final salvo in that outburst. The outside shots were coming easily for the Hoyas, something that actually make the Syracuse zone more effective especially if you don't commit to getting the ball inside.