Syracuse basketball went 2-1 during a recent three-game home stand, and now the Orange hits the road for two straight Atlantic Coast Conference contests, starting with a trip to Atlanta this Saturday to face Georgia Tech.
The 'Cuse (16-9, 7-7 in the ACC) played its best game of the season in stunning No. 7 North Carolina earlier this week on the Hill. That result gave the Orange its second quadrant-one win of the 2023-24 season, and Syracuse basketball is going to need more of those if it wants to realistically enter the conversation for an invite to this spring's NCAA Tournament following a two-year absence from March Madness.
SU's upcoming road date with the Yellow Jackets (10-15, 3-11 in the ACC) isn't anywhere close to a quadrant-one opportunity for Syracuse basketball, but it could move into quadrant-two territory if Georgia Tech can ultimately climb a tad in the NCAA NET rankings.
Coming off the emotional high of defeating the Tar Heels at the JMA Wireless Dome this past Tuesday night, I hope that the Orange doesn't have a let-down versus the Yellow Jackets, a squad that has a poor overall record in 2023-24 but does own some impressive triumphs.
How to watch Syracuse basketball at Georgia Tech.
The 'Cuse and the Yellow Jackets will go toe to toe beginning at 5:30 pm on Saturday, Feb. 17, with television coverage on The CW Network. Coverage may also be available on fuboTV.
To reiterate, Georgia Tech has put forth a sub-par overall stanza to date, but look at some of its victories. The Yellow Jackets have beaten the ACC's top two groups, North Carolina and Duke, both at home, while Georgia Tech also knocked off Clemson on the road in double overtime.
At the same time, the Yellow Jackets have lost four in a row and seven of their last eight encounters. Georgia Tech is one of the worst squads in the ACC as it pertains to both scoring offense and scoring defense, and the Yellow Jackets struggle to shoot the ball.
Where Georgia Tech does have an edge over the Orange, at least on paper, is in the rebounding arena, as the Yellow Jackets average 3.5 more rebounds per affair than the 'Cuse.
Given that the Orange's depth is limited these days, it will be interesting to see if head coach Adrian Autry employs a lot of zone defense versus Georgia Tech, as he did against UNC. The Yellow Jackets aren't a good 3-point shooting group, so I could envision Syracuse basketball relying on the zone a decent amount on Saturday.
According to orangehoops.org, the 'Cuse is 9-8 in its all-time series with Georgia Tech. While winning on the road versus the Yellow Jackets won't move the needle a ton for the Orange's potential post-season resume, it's still important for Syracuse basketball to notch more victories away from the Dome.
After the 'Cuse battles Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Syracuse basketball will travel to Raleigh, N.C., for a rematch with N.C. State after defeating the Wolfpack by 12 points on the Hill in late January. The Orange will compete at N.C. State starting at 7 pm on Tuesday, Feb. 20, from the PNC Arena, with ESPN2 airing this conference contest.