Syracuse men’s basketball: predictions and poll for Georgia Tech

The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team (12-7, 5-3) continues its two-game road trip down south with a matchup against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-10, 1-7).

The Orange are seeking its fifth win in its last seven games as ‘Cuse looks for some redemption coming off a second-half collapse against #17 Miami. The Yellow Jackets are trying to return to some kind of form, entering this game with four straight losses.

Tip-off between the Orange and the Yellow Jackets is scheduled for 12 pm EST.

Here are our predictions:

Dom

Syracuse 78, Georgia Tech 65

Given the Yellow Jackets’ poor defense overall, scoring won’t be a problem for Syracuse. Georgia Tech is a team that relies on hot shooting from three but struggles to get to the foul line, get out in transition, and score inside. If the Orange can hold the Yellow Jackets to one-possession trips, its offensive ceiling is statistically better across the board compared to Georgia Tech. We’ve seen Syracuse struggle to edge out weaker opponents like Louisville and Boston College before, but I think the Orange will easily take care of business on the road.

Mike

Syracuse 81, Georgia Tech 77

This will be closer than it should be because we can’t have easy things here in Syracuse. Nevertheless, I think Judah Mintz redeems himself after a career-worst 3-point performance by leading the Orange in that category. and the secondary scoring options do enough to support him and come away with the win.

Kevin

Syracuse 82, Georgia Tech 69

This game will be closer than my predicted final score. We know the Orange don’t start fast for night games so unless they find a Dunkin’ around the Georgia Tech campus, I’m expecting another sleepy start. Eventually the Syracuse shots start hitting and Georgia Tech’s offensive woes will allow the Orange to get a nice second-half run to coast to a needed road win.

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Christian

Syracuse 77, Georgia Tech 70

This isn’t the same Georgia Tech team as a couple of years ago, thankfully for the Orange. Much like the bottom teams of the ACC, the scoring is best described as inconsistent. Syracuse will need to watch out for the perimeter, as the Yellow Jackets do have a couple of players who are comfortable from range. The recent Orange defense lapses means that those shooters will have good looks to keep this one closer than fans probably want.

Szuba

Syracuse 78, Georgia Tech 65

Ben Lammers ain’t walking through that door. Georgia Tech plays small through its guards and wings and like Miami, it doesn’t have anyone who can provide resistance for Jesse Edwards down low. Expect the Netherlands big to build off of his career night and for Syracuse to go back to he and Joe Girard to run the offense. Mintz should bounce back and Syracuse should get the stops it needs against one of the more limited teams in the league.

Now it’s your turn to tell us what will happen