Syracuse basketball will wrap up its 2022-23 regular season with a pair of home games this week, as the Orange looks to snap a recent three-game losing streak where it has been soundly defeated by Duke, Clemson and most recently, Pittsburgh.
Next up for the ‘Cuse (16-13, 9-9 in the ACC) is an Atlantic Coast Conference contest this Tuesday night against Georgia Tech (12-17, 4-14), which is one of the worst teams in the league but has been performing better of late.
This past Saturday, Syracuse basketball got dominated on the glass and gave up a ton of 3-pointers to Pittsburgh, as the Panthers rolled to a 17-point victory on their own turf in which Pitt nearly reached the century mark in points scored.
Despite that poor outcome, the ‘Cuse did receive a beautiful performance from sophomore forward Benny Williams, who tallied a career-high 24 points along with nine rebounds.
In its last three league clashes, the Orange has fallen by 22 points, 18 points and 17 points to the Blue Devils, the Tigers and the Panthers, respectively. That is awful.
The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, have gone 4-2 in their last six games after previously having lost nine encounters in a row. Most recently, last Saturday, Georgia Tech knocked off Louisville in Atlanta.
Syracuse basketball vs. Georgia Tech odds
When I published this column, actionnetwork.com had the Orange as an eight-point betting favorite at home against the Yellow Jackets, with the over/under set at 144.5 points.
Syracuse basketball vs. Georgia Tech prediction
Per orangehoops.org, the ‘Cuse is 9-7 against the Yellow Jackets in their all-time series together. Most recently, on January 21 of this year, Syracuse basketball pasted Georgia Tech, 80-63, on the road.
At this juncture in the 2022-23 season, the Orange is hovering somewhat near the middle of the pack in the ACC standings, while the Yellow Jackets are close to the basement.
When I penned this piece, the ‘Cuse had a sub-par NCAA NET ranking of No. 113, as compared to No. 206 for Georgia Tech. Syracuse basketball, at present, is nowhere close to the bubble for this spring’s Big Dance and, candidly, the Orange isn’t likely a contender for an NIT berth, either.
Both the Yellow Jackets and Syracuse basketball struggle on defense. The ‘Cuse averages about 5.5 more points per game on offense, though.
As usual, the rebounding department will loom large for Syracuse basketball, and these two teams are fairly even in that category.
Georgia Tech is not a good shooting squad. It connects on just 42.1 percent from the field, 69.1 percent from the charity stripe and 32.8 percent from beyond the arc.
It’s no secret that the Orange is reeling of late. That being said, the ‘Cuse did knock off the Yellow Jackets earlier this season on the road, and I’ll take Syracuse basketball to sweep its regular-season series with Georgia Tech.
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 campaign, Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim has said.
The 6-foot-11 Carey, a power forward/center, has had a surgical procedure done on his right knee and is expected to take a medical redshirt this year, Boeheim has said.
We’ll certainly continue to monitor the injury front for the ‘Cuse in the current stanza.
The Orange and the Georgia Tech will tip off at 7 pm at the JMA Wireless Dome on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Regional sports networks and the ACC Network Extra will air this duel.
For Syracuse basketball and Yellow Jackets fans who want to stream this game, you can check it out on fuboTV.
After the ‘Cuse plays Georgia Tech, the Orange will hold its 2022-23 regular-season finale. Wake Forest comes to Central New York on Saturday, March 4, beginning at 5 pm on regional sports networks.
The Syracuse basketball home game versus the Demon Deacons is both senior day and a 20th-anniversary celebration of the Orange’s 2003 national-championship squad. After that, the ‘Cuse will prepare for the upcoming ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.