Key Takeaways From Georgia Tech 82-72 Loss At Home vs Syracuse

Georgia Tech dropped game two of its two-game homestand after falling to Syracuse 82-72. It was a game Georgia Tech struggled to score, but used a phenomenal second-half run to get back into the game and made things interesting down the stretch. Let’s take a look at some key takeaways from the Yellow Jackets second loss in conference play.

1. Georgia Tech nearly comes back

At one point in the second half, Georgia Tech trailed 58-38, and they looked dead in the water. However, they made a run in the second half thanks to their defense, rebounding, and ability to draw fouls. Jaeden Mustaf and Baye Ndongo were a big catalyst in the near-completed comebacks for the Yellow Jackets that drew the Yellow Jackets within six points. A loss is a loss at the end of the day, but Georgia Tech did a great job with its on ball pressure and forcing turnovers. You look at the box score and see the Yellow Jackets force 15 turnovers that led to 12 points. If the Yellow Jackets could have applied the same pressure early in the game, they may have come out with the win.

2. Foul trouble was a big issue

Georgia Tech had several players in foul trouble on Tuesday night, including Baye Ndongo, Kowacie Reeves, and Peyton Marshal, who all picked up their fourth fouls in the second half. It affected how coach Stoudamire played his rotation in the second half and the players he leaned on to make a difference in the game. However, at about the 10-minute mark, coach Stoduamire subbed back in his starters despite the four hours and rolled with them late in the game. Nobody fouled out, which was good for the team, but it's definitely not something Georgia Tech wants to repeat moving forward.

3. Georgia Tech struggles to score

The Yellow Jackets are a supreme scoring team, or one of the best in the country, but usually, they can hit a good amount of their shots. They went 4-18 from three-point range and just 39.1% from the floor. The key was that their half-court offense couldn’t generate enough good looks. The on-ball defense by Syracuse was superb, making it tough for them to get into their offense and find favorable looks. The tide started to turn when Georgia Tech started to use its defense to fuel its offense. After having 0 fastbreak points in the first half, Georgia Tech finished the game with 15 fastbreak points. Moving forward, they need to lean on the fast break points more to help the offense get in a rhythm and avoid slow starts.

4. Syracuse G Donnie Freeman goes off vs Georgia Tech

Whatever Donnie Freeman wanted to get on Tuesday night, he was able to get. Freeman was working the post and crashing the glass. He finished with 22 points on 8-15 shooting. He also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out two assists. Freeman scored 18 of his 27 points in the second half of the game. He iced the game late for Georgia Tech with his ability to knock down free throws and drive to the cup, and finished with a dunk. He had a number of big plays down the stretch that brought home the victory for Syracuse.

5. Free-throw shooting remains a problem

Georgia Tech went 18-26 from the free-throw line and had several opportunities to get back in the game, but just couldn’t quite pull ahead. On their run, Georgia Tech was constantly splitting free throws and was unable to make two in a row several times, which halted their comeback earlier. Georgia Tech is coming in and only makes 69.1% of its free throw shots. They shot 68.8% which is their season average. However, with more ACC games coming down the stretch, they will have to shoot better if they want to close out teams and make comebacks in games. Free-throw shooting has remained an issue during the Stoudamire era.

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