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After overcoming a 20-point deficit in the second half against Notre Dame, Syracuse (13-7, 7-6 Atlantic Coast) imploded in its 85-71 loss to Duke — lifting its season off the bubble in the wrong direction. The Orange now travel to Atlanta and play Georgia Tech (12-8, 8-6) on Saturday, who just knocked off No. 16 Virginia Tech.

Buddy Boeheim led all Syracuse scorers with 21 points against the Blue Devils, while Kadary Richmond chipped in 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. In their win against the Hokies, Moses Wright paced the Yellow Jackets with 26 points.

Here’s what our beat writers think will happen in McCamish Pavilion on Saturday:

Andrew Crane (13-7)
Yellow Jackets torn me up
Georgia Tech 76, Syracuse 70

After how poorly Syracuse has played in its last two games — masking what had been a three-game winning streak — it’s tough to pick the Orange in any game against a top-tier ACC opponent going forward. And that’s exactly what Georgia Tech is: A top-tier ACC opponent. The Yellow Jackets have an extremely efficient offense, led by Wright and Jose Alvarado, and have positioned themselves as a legitimate threat in the conference tournament.

The Orange win this game if they take advantage of a rare rebounding advantage and convert missed shots into second-chance points, which are essential for keeping pace with Georgia Tech. But look for the struggles of Joe Girard III, Quincy Guerrier and Alan Griffin to continue, positioning SU without any Quadrant 1 wins at the end of the regular season.

Anthony Dabbundo (16-4)
No more buzz
Georgia Tech 72, Syracuse 65

The Orange showed against Notre Dame, Virginia and Duke how their defense stacks up against the more efficient offenses in the country: not well. All three faced little resistance, except for Notre Dame’s inability to break a press. The Yellow Jackets are top-20 in offensive efficiency and have two players the Orange will struggle to guard in Alvarado and Wright. Wright’s interior presence will overwhelm undersized Marek Dolezaj, and Alvarado will be able to get into the lane. Even though the Yellow Jackets aren’t a good rebounding team, they have excellent guards defensively who apply ball pressure and force turnovers. They’ll make life difficult for the SU offense while facing little resistance at the other end.

Not every team will shoot as well as Duke did Monday night, and this won’t be a blowout, as the Orange are now in desperation mode. But the more talented team will win at home in this game. A loss on Saturday leaves Syracuse needing both two home wins and a deep run in Greensboro for an outside shot at the NCAA Tournament.

Danny Emerman (13-7)
The Murder Hornets
Georgia Tech 80, Syracuse 71

Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner recently said the ACC should get 11 teams in the NCAA Tournament. He must not have seen much of Syracuse (or about half the conference) in 2021. 

Syracuse’s defense has declined as the season’s progressed, an alarming sign. The personnel’s the same, but the buy-in has changed. That doesn’t bode well for SU for the rest of the season. It doesn’t have nearly enough talent to play like it can flip a switch. 

Georgia Tech, meanwhile, is making a push for the Big Dance. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has GT as a “next four out team,” a distinction all too familiar for Syracuse. The Yellow Jackets are 12th in the ACC in offensive rebounding and tied for 10th in defensive rebounding, so the undersized Syracuse frontcourt shouldn’t feel too threatened. But Wright, Michael Devoe and Alvarado can each fill it up against the best defenses, let alone the Orange’s. It’s going to be a long afternoon for the zone. 

Published on February 25, 2021 at 11:57 pm