Syracuse basketball continues conference play vs Georgia Tech on Saturday. Here are the top x-factors and what to watch out for in this contest.
Safe to say things haven’t been going great for the Syracuse basketball squad. After eight games, the Orange is off to its worst start in program history under Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim.
Up next for Syracuse, things don’t get any easier. Due to the ACC conference schedule expanding from 18 to 20 games, the Orange and every other ACC team have two conference games sprinkled into non-conference play.
The Orange are 0-1 after losing to Virginia in an ugly season opener. While Syracuse’s next opponent Georgia Tech is 1-0 after beating NC State.
According to the analytics, the Yellow Jackets are a 64.7 percent favorite to beat the Orange.
Here are our full crystal ball predictions for this pivotal ACC clash between the Orange and the Yellow Jackets. On top of that, we provide the x-factors to watch out for and what storylines you should be watching out for.
Paul A. Esden Jr, Site Expert (4-4)
Syracuse is off to their worst start in over 50 years and people are panicking, rightfully so. This team is 4-4 and are floundering through non-conference play. Syracuse has nearly run out of opportunities to impress before ACC play begins in earnest in January.
This means if the Orange blow it in non-conference play, as they already have, they have to then overcompensate during the ACC. Over the last handful of years Syracuse has been hovering around .500 in the conference and that has been good enough to get into the tournament.
This year they may have to do more than normal to get there and that starts vs Georgia Tech. The Orange are already 0-1 in conference and this feels like a must-win game, despite the fact there’s still a lot of season left to unfold.
The Yellow Jackets don’t have a very impressive offense, but they do have a stout defense and that’s horrible news for Syracuse. This team is struggling offensively and just what the doctor ordered would be a confidence-boosting game vs a bad defense, they won’t get that on the road on Saturday afternoon.
I think Syracuse continues their struggles offensively and Georgia Tech plays well enough to squeak out a victory. GT wins 74-61.
Joe Arrigo, contributor (5-3)
Syracuse is off to its worst start since Jim Boeheim took over as head coach. There are a ton of things that are wrong with this team. The shooters aren’t making any jump shots, they cant consistently be a good rebounding team, and their offense can be very sloppy and filled with turnovers.
My biggest issue with this team is that it lacks an identity.
This team is trying to play very fast so that it can give Elijah Hughes, Buddy Boeheim, and Joe Girard open shots, but the 2-3 zone slows the games down so much that it is very tough to get in transition. Jim Boeheim has to decide what style he wants this team to play because right now there isn’t much that is working.
As for this game vs Georgia Tech, I’m not sure what Syracuse team I will get. Last year, Georgia Tech came into the Carrier Dome and blew out the Orange by bringing more intensity to the game. Josh Pastner is an intense coach that will have his team ready to play, and they play a match-up zone that can be very hard to figure out.
I think Syracuse has better players than the Yellow Jackets, but I think the odd zone that Tech plays will make Syracuse really uncomfortable on offense. This will be an ugly game, and I think that favors the Yellow Jackets as well. Although it pains me to say it, I think the losing streak extends one more game for the Orange.
Final Score
Syracuse 64 Georgia Tech 70
Mat Mlodzinski, contributor (4-4)
Georgia Tech – 74, Syracuse – 67
On Saturday, Syracuse travels to Georgia Tech to take on the Yellow Jackets in the Orange’s second ACC matchup of the season.
Syracuse comes in to the game at 4-4, losers of three straight, while Georgia Tech is set to enter at 4-2, following a victory over Nebraska in the B1G/ACC Challenge.
If this game were at Syracuse, I would have the Orange in a tight battle. However, G-Tech is underrated, at home, and playing a diminished Orange team. Therefore, the Yellow Jackets have the upper hand.
Coached by Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech has one of the best scorers in the country in Michael Devoe, who is averaging almost 24 points per game on the season. The Yellow Jackets have also received some scoring from James Banks III and Moses Wright, each putting up a little over 11 per game. This is a team that can put up big numbers from time to time, and also shares the ball decently, at almost 14 assists per game.
Meanwhile, the Orange have struggled as of late. Syracuse has lost three consecutive games to borderline bubble teams, each by double digits. ‘Cuse has been shaky on defense, and although Elijah Hughes has been good, haven’t received consistent scoring from anyone else.
The Orange are in need of wins, but won’t get one here.
Chris Queripel, contributor (7-1)
Syracuse basketball is off to their worst eight-game start in Jim Boeheim’s 44-year tenure. The ‘Cuse have faced some tough opponents but only one ACC foe. The bad news for Syracuse is that their schedule will only get more difficult come January.
Right now, the Orange is preparing for Georgia Tech on Saturday, who are 4-2 on the year. The 4-4 Syracuse team has lost to some top-notch opponents; however, they have not beaten a power five team yet.
To start, let’s look at what the Yellow Jackets have done this season and who there x-factors will be. So far this year, four of their six games have been decided by four points or less. The fifth matchup was a blowout victory against Elon.
There are two names that jump out as potential matchup nightmares against the Orange. First, is there leading scorer Michael Devoe. The sophomore guard is averaging 23.4 points a game and shooting almost 62 percent from deep, which ranks top ten in the NCAA. We saw how elite shooters from Iowa fared against the 2-3 zone so Devoe could have a field day from deep.
Next is a presence down on the block. James Banks III is a 6-foot-10 forward that averages about 10 rebounds and five blocks a game. He leads the team in both of those statistics. Banks is also the second-leading scorer on the team with 13.4 a game.
Both Devoe and Banks provide a significant threat to a shaky Syracuse squad.
The Orange haven’t been close in defeating a major opponent, and there have been no signs of life on the offensive side of the ball. Elijah Hughes has emerged as the primary threat for the Orange, but the lack of a secondary and tertiary option has proven critical in the team’s losses this year. Since Joe Girard entered the starting lineup, his production has not been the same.
Girard is shooting 5 for 26 from three over the last five games. His lack of offensive production highlights just one instance of a need for more offense, yet nothing has changed. Like most Orange fans, I’m waiting for that game for everything to click and ‘Cuse soars past their opponent. But right now, I don’t have faith that will happen in the near future. Georgia Tech poses too much of a threat, and I predict the Yellow Jackets will win 76-62 over Syracuse.
Neil Adler, contributor (7-1)
The Syracuse basketball squad, experiencing a disappointing three-affair losing streak, heads to Atlanta on Saturday afternoon for an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown at Georgia Tech.
The Orange (4-4, 0-1), earlier this week, got crushed at home by Iowa in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, in a match-up where the ‘Cuse yet again struggled to shoot well from the field as a whole, and from 3-point land. Syracuse, to date in the 2019-20 campaign, hasn’t defeated an opponent from a major conference, and every one of these setbacks has come by a wide margin. Needless to say, Orange Nation is getting restless, and the ‘Cuse roster has a ton of work to do.
The Yellow Jackets (4-2, 1-0), meanwhile, suited up on Dec. 4 versus Nebraska on Georgia Tech’s own turf. The Yellow Jackets, buoyed by a stout defense, pulled away from the Cornhuskers in the second half, resulting in a 73-56 triumph. Georgia Tech has won two-consecutive contests.
This encounter between Syracuse and the Yellow Jackets will occur beginning at 12:00 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion, with television coverage provided by the ACC Network. At this juncture, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index says that Georgia Tech possesses a 64.7 percent chance to prevail, and that’s certainly logical, given the Orange’s recent woes. It’s abundantly clear that the ‘Cuse, which contains a relatively young lineup, still has a long way to go in finding its offensive identity, and the team’s defense also must greatly improve.
When the guards are having a difficult time connecting from beyond the arc, which has transpired of late, Syracuse’s foes are smothering redshirt junior forward Elijah Hughes. If the big men and other reserves don’t step up and help out with the scoring load, the Orange will continue to fall. Unfortunately, because the ‘Cuse is competing on the road, and the Yellow Jackets have an excellent defense, I project that Georgia Tech will succeed, by a final mark of 70-60.
Ryan Lee, contributor (8-0)
Syracuse basketball heads to Georgia Tech for their second conference game of the young season. Syracuse’s offense is continuing its nosedive against Power 5 teams. The team is being overwhelmed as well in the second half.
Syracuse ranks tied at 116th in the nation in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency (AdjOff) according to Barttorvik.com. That ties them with Duquesne and just a tick ahead of St. Johns. However, only Iowa and Virginia have held Syracuse under 100 AdjOff.
What all four losses have in common is poor shooting from midrange and from three. Syracuse from midrange is 14-of-65. That is 22 percent from midrange. With 30 percent of Syracuse’s shots attempts coming from a territory the team is only shooting 22 percent from then red flags are raised.
With those midrange twos being analytical speaking some of the worst shots that a team can take; you are not surprised when Syracuse’s offense is performing so poorly. Coach Jim Boeheim’s comments of the team not getting good movement is telling. Bad shots that the other team wants you to take is a usual outcome when you don’t get good movement.
What is troubling for Syracuse is Georgia Tech forces teams into that midrange more than most teams. According to Barttorvik.com the Yellow Jackets force teams into 38.5 percent of their field goal attempts come from “farther twos.” That is the seventh-best mark in the country. This helps them to sit at 32nd in the nation in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency (AdjDef).
Syracuse has to break out of its trends and evolve as an offense if they are going to win games. The defense, while still tough, is not going crack the top 20 this year. If Syracuse can shoot better from three then the confidence of their shooters could lead to this evolution. Seeing the shot fall from deep might lead to the team from not allowing defenders to chase them off the line for tougher twos.
As of now the evidence of this happening is not there.
Georgia Tech 65 Syracuse 59
Josh Peelman, contributor (5-3)
Syracuse truly looked awful last game against Iowa. Buddy Boeheim and Joe Girard once again struggled, but this time Elijah Hughes joined the party as well. That is a recipe for disaster for this year’s team.
This team relies on its scorers, and when they fail to produce, this team can’t win. The Orange need to regroup and find a way to win as they are 4-4 and on a three-game losing streak. The bad news is that the Orange play a talented Georgia Tech squad this Saturday, one of the few teams that actually won in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Not to mention the game will be their first true road game for the Orange this season. So the odds don’t look good for Syracuse. That being said I think Syracuse will come ready to play. I think they are capable of winning the game against the Yellow Jackets. Expect Elijah Hughes and Buddy Boeheim to have better shooting games overall, and for Quincy Guerrier to possibly score a bunch off the bench when Bourama Sidibe struggles down low.
I really want to say Syracuse wins this game on the road, but I’m still not confident enough in this year’s team yet to make that call. That being said I project a close loss 61-56 to Georgia Tech.