There’s only one thing that Georgetown and Syracuse have in common: their dislike for each other. But now, the NBA faces of these rival universities are working together much better than any Big East fan could have expected.

This past Friday night, the Denver Nuggets led by Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony came into the Verizon Center and put together a dominating second half to beat the Washington Wizards by 26 points. Hoya Hoops was there in the locker room afterwards to find out how a Hoya and an Orangeman could work so effectively together.

Iverson and Anthony are hoping to become one of the most dangerous twosomes in the league, and though they have been together for less than a year, Anthony says their progress is right on schedule: “I learned his game. I try to watch film on his game and on my game and to see where he like the ball at, what he like to do. So by me doing that I learned a lot from him.”

Against the Wizards, the Nuggets blew it open in the third quarter when Anthony took over and scored 16 points – the Wizards as a team only managed 11. For the first time in his career, Iverson has somebody he can really count on: “It was fun just seeing him go off like that, especially for me. Just having a teammate that can do that. It was just fun to watch.” Despite being two of the biggest stars in the NBA, egos have not gotten in the way of their improving partnership.

Since the Big East began in 1980, the conference has produced hundreds of NBA players and dozens who have made a real impact in the league. The duo of Iverson and Anthony is the greatest Big East combo in the history of the NBA. When we spoke with Anthony about his place in Big East – NBA history, he was surprised and honored. He proudly represents his former conference:

“The Big East – well, like I say, you know how we do in the Big East, man. It’s lovely playing with him, a guy like Allen Iverson, who on any given night, knowing what he is capable of doing.”

And when we asked him how an Orangeman dealt with working beside a Hoya, he flashed his multi-million dollar smile and simply said, “No problems, no problems.”

Hoya fans don’t have to like Carmelo Anthony; in fact in many ways they shouldn’t. But Allen Iverson is arguably the greatest NBA Hoya ever, and if he is going to get a ring, he is going to need Anthony’s help. So to give full support to AI’s quest for an NBA Championship, true Hoya supporters don’t have to root for Anthony, they just have to not root against him. I know that’s a lot to ask for.