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Syracuse dropped its third-straight game, 99-82, against Pitt on Saturday, allowing over 90 points for the second game in a row. The loss put the Orange at 9-9 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. There is still a chance they could play on the first day of the ACC Tournament, if they lose their next two games and Boston College wins its next two games.

Georgia Tech played SU back in January, with the Orange coming out on top, 80-63. Joe Girard III scored 28 points in 40 minutes — hitting 6-of-10 from 3-point range — and Maliq Brown added a career-high 18 points. Judah Mintz and Jesse Edwards added double-digit points, too. The loss was GT’s fifth in a row, and it proceeded to lose its next four — though it has won four of the past six games, including a 16-point win over Louisville on Saturday.

Here’s what our beat writers expect to happen when Syracuse hosts Georgia Tech on Tuesday night:

Anish Vasudevan (22-7)
Forward, march!
Syracuse 74, Georgia Tech 67

Finally, a game Syracuse is favored in! The Yellow Jackets have been a bottom-feeder in the ACC throughout the year, dropping nine straight games earlier in conference play. During that stretch, SU easily handled Georgia Tech, 80-63. I expect the Orange to replicate that success again.

Over the last month, the Yellow Jackets have been a much better team. They defeated Virginia Tech, a team SU lost to in late January, and most recently, they blew out Louisville 83-67. The Yellow Jackets scored 12 3-pointers during that game and could find the same success from deep again as the Orange have allowed 13 or more 3-pointers in their last three games. This is the time for SU to lock up defensively and limit a team’s offensive creativity like it was able to do earlier in the year. Meanwhile, its defense needs to get better as the game goes along, not worse.

Girard went off for 28 points this year against GT, but the biggest game-changer was Brown, who scored 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Brown only got six minutes against the Panthers and should see some more time in SU’s forward rotation on Tuesday. If Brown doesn’t step up, Williams needs to put together another strong performance, one that can aid the production of Girard, Mintz and Edwards. Jim Boeheim will play forward roulette with Brown, Williams, Chris Bell and Justin Taylor. At least one of them should score close to 20 points.

Connor Smith (24-5)
One small step
Syracuse 78, Georgia Tech 76

The Orange are in desperate need of a win, and the good news is that, according to KenPom’s rankings, Georgia Tech is the worst team that they’ll have faced since Louisville in early January. These two teams met later in January, with SU destroying the Yellow Jackets by 17. GT, though, was in the midst of a nine-game losing streak at that point. Since, it has won four of its past six games. Syracuse is still a strong favorite in this game, but I expect this one to be a lot closer than that meeting in Atlanta.

SU’s defense is at its worst right now, giving up over 90 points in its past two games for the first time since 2006. Boeheim is insistent that the only choice is to stick with the 2-3 zone until a second-half deficit is too large, thus necessitating the full-court press to come out. Luckily for Syracuse, Georgia Tech is one of the worst offensive teams in the ACC, and ranks 308th nationally, per KenPom, in effective field goal percentage. It gives the Orange’s defense a chance to take a step forward — though I expect that step to be a small one — and there will still be plenty of work to do ahead of Wake Forest and the conference tournament next week.

Anthony Alandt (20-9)
‘Better Days’
Syracuse 75, Georgia Tech 63

Since it was announced that Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band were coming to the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse has simply been “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” longing for the “Glory Days” when it could stop teams from dominating inside the paint. SU has struggled mightily in the last three games, allowing Clemson and Pittsburgh to score at least 90 points, the first time since 2005-06 its allowed that many points to consecutive opponents.

But Georgia Tech’s 32.8% 3-point shooting, and just one player averaging double digits, could help Syracuse to stop the bleeding. The Orange will “Prove it All Night” when they can get the pick-and-roll going with Girard and Edwards. By the time the second half ends, I expect Girard to have a similar performance to his 28-point slaughter last time SU played Georgia Tech, and fans will once again be treated to a “New York City Serenade,” the first Syracuse win in two weeks.

The Yellow Jackets tried last time to penetrate the 2-3 zone, but — much like I expect on Tuesday night — it looked like a “Wreck on the Highway.”

sports@dailyorange.com | @DOSports

Published on February 27, 2023 at 8:11 pm