Syracuse basketball at Georgia Tech odds, prediction and how to watch

Syracuse basketball concludes a two-game road trip in Atlantic Coast Conference play when the Orange heads to Georgia Tech this Saturday afternoon.

This past Monday night in the Sunshine State, the ‘Cuse (12-7, 5-3 in the ACC) held an 11-point lead in the second half at No. 17 Miami, but Syracuse basketball couldn’t finish off the Hurricanes. Despite a career-high 25 points along with 11 rebounds from senior center Jesse Edwards, the Orange fell to Miami, 82-78, in a heart-breaking result that cost the ‘Cuse a coveted quadrant-one victory for its resume.

As we noted in another column this week, Syracuse basketball does have numerous other chances in ACC competition coming up to potentially grab quad-one wins, but the Orange’s next league clash isn’t one of those opportunities.

To date in the 2022-23 campaign, the Yellow Jackets (8-10, 1-7) have proven of the conference’s worst squads. Georgia Tech has lost four straight. Its most recent setback, 78-66, was at home to N.C. State on Tuesday evening.

Despite the defeat at the hands of the Hurricanes earlier this week, the Orange is faring pretty well of late. Over its last 12 contests, the ‘Cuse is 9-3 overall.

Those three losses were to Pittsburgh on the Hill by two points, at then-No. 11 Virginia by seven points, and then the four-point setback at Miami.

Now, Syracuse basketball could really use a road triumph over a sub-par Georgia Tech group. Because after that affair, the Orange’s next three meetings are tough. The ‘Cuse will be at home against North Carolina next Tuesday, followed by at Virginia Tech and then versus the Cavaliers in Central New York.

Syracuse basketball at Georgia Tech odds

When I published this column, actionnetwork.com had the Orange as a 2.5-point betting favorite over the Yellow Jackets, with the over/under set at 142.5 points.

Syracuse basketball at Georgia Tech prediction

According to orangehoops.org, the Orange is 8-7 versus the Yellow Jackets in their all-time series together. Most recently, on Feb. 21, 2022, Syracuse basketball defeated Georgia Tech, 74-73 in overtime, on the Hill.

In taking a look at the Yellow Jackets’ resume so far in 2022-23, Georgia Tech doesn’t have a lot of impressive wins. I will say that many of its losses, though, are to fairly good opponents. The Yellow Jackets have knocked off Georgia and Miami, with both victories coming at home.

The dilemma for the Orange in its contest with Georgia Tech is that the Yellow Jackets have a really poor NCAA NET ranking. So while it’s never easy to triumph on the road in the ACC, if Syracuse basketball were to fall in this game, it would likely prove a “bad” quadrant-three loss for the ‘Cuse.

At this juncture in 2022-23, the Yellow Jackets are averaging 70.2 points per affair while allowing 69.9 points per contest, according to ESPN statistics.

Georgia Tech, simply put, is not a good shooting team. The Yellow Jackets connect on 42.4 percent from the field, 69.5 percent from the charity stripe, and 32.4 percent from beyond the arc.

But Georgia Tech is suiting up at home in this ACC clash, and there’s something to be said for that. Plus, the Yellow Jackets hold a slight edge on the boards as compared to the Orange.

When the ‘Cuse lost at Miami a few days ago, a big reason why the Hurricanes stormed back in the second half is that they hit the offensive glass hard, and that produced a lot of second-chance scoring opportunities.

Syracuse basketball is a “better” squad than Georgia Tech, but if the ‘Cuse gets off to another slow start and doesn’t perform well on the boards, this could be a tricky road game for the Orange.

However, I feel like the ‘Cuse will bounce back in this encounter, and I’ll project Syracuse basketball to prevail at the Yellow Jackets.

Injuries, how to watch, live stream, next game
On the injury front, freshman big man Peter Carey is out for the rest of the 2022-23 season, Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim has said. The 6-foot-11 Carey, a power forward/center, recently had a surgical procedure done on his right knee and is expected to take a medical redshirt this year, according to Boeheim.

We’ll certainly continue to monitor the injury front for the ‘Cuse in the current stanza.

The Orange and Georgia Tech will tip-off beginning at 12 pm on Saturday, Jan. 21, from the McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta. ACC regional sports networks will air this league battle.

For Syracuse basketball and Yellow Jackets fans who want to stream this game, you can check it out on fuboTV.

After the Orange plays at Georgia Tech to wrap up a two-contest road tour, the ‘Cuse will return home to face North Carolina at the JMA Wireless Dome. Syracuse basketball and the Tar Heels will go toe to toe starting at 9 pm on Tuesday, Jan. 24, with ESPN providing television coverage.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.