Syracuse basketball, which has lost two straight and six of its last eight games, returns to the JMA Wireless Dome on Tuesday night for an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown with Georgia Tech.
Over the weekend, in Tallahassee, Fla., the Orange (6-8, 0-3 in the ACC) fell at Florida State by a final count of 90-74. The 'Cuse shot at a solid clip from 3-point range against the Seminoles and kept things close for a while, but FSU pulled away down the stretch amid junior guard J.J. Starling's return to the starting line-up after missing seven affairs due to a left-hand injury.
As Syracuse basketball inches closer to the half-way point of the 2024-25 regular season, this term has proven a struggle for second-year head coach Adrian Autry and his revamped roster.
The Orange remains in search of its first power conference win and its first ACC victory. The 'Cuse has also yet to prevail in a game away from the Dome, going a combined 0-6 on the road and at neutral sites.
How to watch Syracuse basketball face Georgia Tech on the Hill.
The Orange and the Yellow Jackets (8-7, 2-2 in the ACC) will battle at the Dome on Tuesday, Jan. 7, with the tip-off scheduled for 7 pm and television coverage on the ACC Network.
Per SU Athletics, in their all-time series together, Syracuse basketball and Georgia Tech at tied at 8-8. The Yellow Jackets have won two in a row in this series, with the most recent result being a Yellow Jackets' 65-60 conquest in Atlanta in mid-February of 2024.
When I wrote this column on Sunday, the 'Cuse had a sub-par NCAA NET ranking of No. 163 overall, with Georgia Tech checking in at No. 138, making this a quadrant-three contest for Syracuse basketball.
The Yellow Jackets, picked to finish at No. 12 in the ACC standings per the league's preseason media poll, are on a mini roll, having prevailed in three consecutive games. To date in 2024-25, Georgia Tech has victories over West Georgia, Texas Southern, Charleston Southern, Central Arkansas, UMBC, Alabama A&M, Notre Dame and, most recently, Boston College.
On the flip side, the Yellow Jackets in the current campaign have lost to North Florida, Georgia, Cincinnati, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Northwestern and Duke.
In various statistical categories, Syracuse basketball is averaging 76.8 points per game on offense, 78.9 points allowed on defense, 38.8 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 2.7 blocks, 4.8 steals and 12.7 turnovers.
Conversely, Georgia Tech averages 76.8 points per contest on offense, 73.2 points allowed on defense, 38.4 rebounds, 15.9 assists, 3.8 blocks, 5.6 steals and 11.6 turnovers.
Shooting-wise, the Orange makes 45.8 percent from the field, 69.9 percent from the free-throw line and 29.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Yellow Jackets connect on 45.0 percent from the field, 68.6 percent from the charity stripe and 34.8 percent from long range.
Needless to say, with the 'Cuse seeing its 2024-25 season slipping away, Syracuse basketball has to hold serve at home versus Georgia Tech this Tuesday.