Syracuse looks for their first ACC victory of the season in their first true road game at Georgia Tech

Syracuse will play in their first true road game of the season Tuesday night when they head south to take on Georgia Tech. The Orange (9-5, 0-1 ACC) can check a couple boxes on this trip, as they are looking to claim their first victory away from the JMA Wireless Dome, as well as their first conference win when they meet the Yellow Jackets (10-5, 1-1).

Georgia Tech dropped a close ACC opener at Duke, but bounced back on Saturday by closing out Boston College with a 23-7 run in the final eight wins to secure a 65-53 win to even their conference record. The Jackets claimed that win without starting center Mouhamed Sylla, who is expected to also miss the matchup with SU.

Sylla’s absence, however, still leaves Tech’s three top scorers available for the game. Kowacie Reeves Jr. leads the team at 16.0 points per game while shooting 41.3 percent from long range on his 33 triples on the season.

A new starting point guard has helped the Yellow Jacket offense reach a new level

Lamar Washington has taken over the reins at point guard. While averaging 11.3 points and 6.1 assists per game on the campaign, in the last six games as the starter, Washington has juiced those averages to 15.2 points, 7.5 assists, and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 51 percent from the field.

With Sylle on the shelf, Baye Ndongo is the primary interior player for the Yellow Jackets. Ndongo has averaged double digits in scoring all three seasons of his career, including 11.2 points per outing this year. He is also a proficient rebounder, averaging 8.5 boards per game in his career and 3.0 offensive rebounds per game this season.

Georgia Tech does not have a lot of consistent offense after those three players though, as their offense hovers around the midpoint of Division I in efficiency. The Jackets are a pretty solid 3-point shooting team, but do not take a lot of treys, limiting their ability to offset their high number of turnovers.

Their offense got off to a slow start this season, but has really come together with Washington’s promotion to the starting lineup. After a fairly pedestrian effort against Monmouth, the Jackets posted adjusted offensive efficiencies of at least 113.8 in their next four games, including a 127.0 mark at Duke.

That offensive success went by the boards against Boston College their last time out. They had shot 58.9 percent from 3-point range their preceding four games, but that came to a screeching halt against the Eagles, as Tech was just 3-of-13 (23.1 percent) in that game.

Tech also has a solid, but not superlative, defense

One thing that has not been much a concern for the Yellow Jackets this season has been their overall defense. There is not a lot of gimmicks with what Georgia Tech does on that end of the floor, but they simply make it hard for opponents to make shots. Tech permits their opponents to shoot just 28.1 percent on 3-pointers, good for 12th in the nation, and 47.1 percent on 2-point field goals.

One weakness on that side of the court is that the Jackets do not force lots of turnovers. Their turnover rate is at 16.4 for the full season, but that number is boosted by their first five games. In their last ten outings, Tech’s defensive turnover rate has been 17.3 or under, including four games of 12.5 or lower.

Syracuse will face a good challenge from the Yellow Jackets, especially because they have been so reliant on scoring inside the arc. Sylla’s expected absence will make that task a little easier, especially as 7’0” sophomore center Peyton Marshall has been susceptible to foul trouble. If Marshall is saddled with early fouls, the path to victory should be a little easier for the Orange.

SU will have to play the defense they showed they are capable of doing early this season, as they cannot let Reeves, who is averaging 4.5 3’s per game in the last half dozen, run wild from the perimeter. Their guards will need to pressure Washington, who has been susceptible to turning the ball over in his career.

Donnie Freeman should make his return to the starting lineup for the Orange and he should be able to have a big night against the shorthanded GT frontline. It will not lead to a blowout, but it should be enough for SU to even out their conference record.

Syracuse 74, Georgia Tech 68.

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