The Syracuse Orange (9-5, 0-1) will play their first road game of the season tomorrow night when they head to Atlanta to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-5, 1-1). It’s a return for Naithan George
and Akir Souare as they face their former squad. The game tips of at 7:00 on the ACC Network and here’s what we’re watching for:
Kevin: Push the Pace
For all the talk about playing fast, the Orange have reverted back to getting stuck in half-court games. Georgia Tech defends relatively well but they turn it over a lot so this is a game where Syracuse should make it a point to get in transition. You can go a bit deeper into the bench here, so the focus needs to be trying to get the score above 75.
Dom: Controlling the glass
Neither one of these teams does well at winning the advantage on the boards. Among all ACC schools, opponents collect the fourth-most rebounds against Syracuse; Georgia Tech is fifth in that same stat. The Yellow Jackets, like the Orange, rank bottom-five in scoring, so each offense will be looking to squeeze out every point possible. Outside forcing turnovers and getting more fastbreak buckets as mentioned above, Syracuse can’t afford to give Georgia Tech extra looks. Syracuse has to hustle to the ball.
Sam: Will either team be able to score?
You don’t look at either of these rosters or watch either of these teams play and think good things about the offense. Georgia Tech is 181st, Syracuse is 116th. Syracuse is pretty stagnant in the half court, and Georgia Tech is even worse. Compounding that, both of these teams play solid defense, especially on the first shot. Both sides are athletic and will try to get out in transition, but if neither can successfully do so, it could be a race to 65.
Szuba: Syracuse defense
Despite the offensive struggles, Syracuse continues to be a solid overall defensive team, especially on the interior with Will Kyle as anchor and shot-blocker. Can Syracuse impose its defensive will against a poor offensive team? Georgia Tech is turnover prone and shoots it badly from inside the arc. One area of concern for the Orange: Georgia Tech shoots it well from three. The Yellow Jackets don’t take a ton of shots from outside but Syracuse will need to keep Kowacie Reeves Jr. in check and account for Kam Craft at all times.
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What will you be watching for?
