The Syracuse Orange host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at 7 p.m. Monday in the Carrier Dome. Here’s what to watch for.
- Teams: Syracuse Orange (14-12, 8-7 ACC) v. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-15, 4-11)
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 21
- Game Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
- Network: RSN
Rutger Sears
Fearless Prediction: Syracuse 69, Georgia Tech 60
The Juice Online Season Record: 12-3 (ACC)
After a tough 71-59 loss to Virginia Tech that snapped a four game win streak, the Orange bounced back nicely with a 20-point win at home over Boston College. The story of that game was the balance on offense that Syracuse has started to show down the stretch, as Cole Swider matched Buddy Boeheim’s 18 points to lead the team. Jimmy Boeheim had a 13-point double-double of his own, and Joe Girard III had 16 points and hit four three-pointers.
The Orange have really started to jell offensively as a team the last month or so, and their ranking as the 41st scoring offense in the nation, even with all their early season struggles, is a testament to that. Averaging 77.4 ppg, you have to imagine it’s going to be tough for a Yellow Jackets team that is currently 196th in the country in scoring defense to hold Syracuse’s top talents down.
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Where Georgia Tech has a chance though is against Syracuse’s own horrid defense, currently ranked at 291st. Tech’s tandem of Michael Devoe and Jordan Usher have been playing well all year, averaging 18.6 and 14.6 ppg respectively, but now have a third scorer to watch for in Rodney Howard who has double digit points in his last three games. The three should be able to create plenty of scoring opportunities, particularly down low where Frank Anselem continues to struggle finding his footing with increased playing time in the absence of Jesse Edwards.
Overall though, I don’t anticipate Georgia Tech to give the Orange too much trouble given how well the offense is rolling of late. Even on only a day’s rest, Syracuse’s scorers are too much for Tech’s defense to handle in a night game in the Dome.
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