Maryland and Georgetown (which play at Georgetown on Friday night) are separated by about 10 miles and have played each other in lacrosse every season since 2003. This annual tradition, however, may be in jeopardy.
According to The Washington Post, no Maryland sports team will play Georgetown in any sports until an impasse is reached regarding scheduling of the men’s basketball teams.
Read the article at WashingtonPost.com.
The history of this impasse dates back to 1993, the last time the two teams met in the regular season. Maryland won over a nationally-ranked Georgetown team with a game-winning layup. Many Maryland fans point to that game as a key moment in re-building a program that had fallen off the map since Len Bias’ death in 1986.
While the teams have met since in the post-season, they haven’t played another regular season contest. While a lot of the reasons are hearsay and rumors, the consistent point of contention heard about re-scheduling the series is doing so as a home-and-home.
The game in 1993 was played at the Capital Centre, which is in Prince George’s County, Md. and a few miles from College Park. Much of the debate since then in re-starting a home/home series is whether that game was on a neutral court or a “home” game for Georgetown (the arena was used as a home arena for Georgetown, but the game drew plenty of Maryland fans, too). The two teams were supposed to play at Cole Field House the next year, but agreements for the contest became contested and that game never happened.
Since then, Maryland fans have argued that the next Terps-Hoyas hoops match up should be played at Maryland. A further sticking point for many Maryland fans is that the end of this local rivalry coincided with the Terps’ ascent in basketball over the same period that Georgetown, which was dominant in the area prior to 1993, experienced a decline.
Hoyas’ fans (as this piece explains) argue that Maryland and Georgetown split the gate at the Capital Centre and the two teams should have done the same the next year.
Regardless, the two sides have not been able to come to an agreement on where to play. Now, Maryland AD Kevin Anderson seems to be wanting to force Georgetown’s hand and come to some sort of agreement. Lacrosse, however, could be a casualty until something is worked out.
ttyl,
B.R.O.