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Syracuse will play its final regular season road game when the Orange travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets have won three straight games in the Atlantic Coast Conference, including a road win at Virginia Tech in their last game. Saturday is the final opportunity for a SU Quadrant 1 win, based on the current NET rankings.

Here’s what to know about the Yellow Jackets before Syracuse (13-7, 7-6 Atlantic Coast) and Georgia Tech (12-8, 8-6) tip-off at 12 p.m. on Saturday:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 7-6.

Last time they played

Syracuse swept the season series with the Yellow Jackets in 2019-20, winning the second meeting in the Carrier Dome 79-72 in February. The Orange struggled to contain GT forward Moses Wright, who finished the game 14-of-17 from the field with 33 points.

SU won the game because it held the Yellow Jackets’ starting backcourt of Michael Devoe and Jose Alvarado to 19 points on 14 shot attempts. Elijah Hughes, Joe Girard III and Marek Dolezaj all tallied at least 15 points, with Hughes and Dolezaj eclipsing 20 in the victory.

The Orange forced 17 GT turnovers in the win in the Dome.

KenPom odds

Georgia Tech has a 67% chance to win, with a projected score of 76-71.

The Yellow Jackets report

From an overall efficiency perspective, the Yellow Jackets are the fourth-best offense that Syracuse will face this season. The other three top offenses — Duke, Virginia and Notre Dame — all found success against the Orange’s defense, especially from beyond the 3-point arc. Georgia Tech’s offense runs through two players, Alvarado and Wright. Wright is the third-best player in the conference this season based on efficiency, per KenPom. GT had a slow start with two bad nonconference losses to Mercer and Georgia State to open the season, but the Yellow Jackets have notched wins against Clemson, Florida State and Virginia Tech in conference play.

Alvarado is a major reason that GT ranks No. 1 defensively in turnover forced rate and steal rate in the ACC. Alvarado and 5-foot-10 guard Bubba Parham are an active backcourt who apply ball pressure to turn over opponents. Alvarado ranks 13th nationally in steal rate, and he and Devoe are capable shooters at the other end, too. Alvarado shoots 42.9% from 3, and Devoe shoots 40.4% from long range.

The Yellow Jackets have improved from 64th in KenPom efficiency from last season to 33rd this season because of returning production. They are the fourth-most experienced team in the nation and rank 10th in minutes continuity from last year. The Yellow Jackets only have seven players who average more than five minutes per game, so it’s unlikely they’ll look to go deep into the bench, even if a player picks up two fouls in the first half.

GT’s offense and defense are both trending up in recent games, as they are inside the top 35 in efficiency at both ends in their last 10 games.

How Syracuse beats Georgia Tech

Syracuse needs a better start if it wants to pull off the minor upset in Atlanta on Saturday. Slow starts have hurt SU, with the Orange trailing by double digits in the first half of three of the last six games. Georgia Tech doesn’t guard the 3 particularly well, so Buddy Boeheim will need to continue his red-hot shooting run and help Syracuse keep up with GT’s efficient offense.

But it can’t just be Buddy. Alan Griffin and Quincy Guerrier both had their worst games of the season Monday night at Duke, and SU needs more from its forwards if it wants to save its season.

Dolezaj scored 20 points in the second meeting and 11 in the first with the Yellow Jackets in 2019-20. He has to be a bigger part of the offense, finding spots where GT’s interior defense can be attacked like last season.

Stat to know: 13%

Georgia Tech and Syracuse are tied for fourth nationally in steal rate defensively. Expect turnovers in this game via steals, as Alvarado, Girard and Kadary Richmond all excel in steals per game and per 40 minutes.

Player to watch: Moses Wright, No. 5, 6-foot-9 center

Wright won’t really have a height advantage on Dolezaj on the interior, but the 233-pound senior center will have a size edge in weight. Wright torched SU for 17 and 33 in two meetings last season, and he’s probably the biggest mismatch on the court for the Orange’s struggling defense.

Wright ranks top 20 in the ACC in offensive rebounding rate, block rate and steal rate. He’s an improved free-throw shooter who is making about 8% more of his free throws and getting to the line more in 2020-21. If Wright gets going early, it could be another difficult evening for Syracuse.

Published on February 25, 2021 at 11:40 pm

Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo