Previewing Syracuse’s ACC clash vs. Georgia Tech
Syracuse point guard Naithan George and big man Akir Souare transferred from Georgia Tech to SU in the offseason. Matthew Crisafulli | Contributing Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Syracuse has already spiraled toward the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference. After a 9-4 run in nonconference play, the Orange began their ACC slate with a 64-61 loss to Clemson.
SU played the style third-year head coach Adrian Autry desires, fighting in a defensive battle. However, a late push by Donnie Freeman in his return from a nine-game absence wasn’t enough to take down the Tigers.
In a conference that has already proven to have improved parity and multiple upsets, Syracuse sits in 15th of 18 teams. The top 15 teams will travel to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament come March. Looking to get back on track, the Orange kick off 2026 against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are 1-1 to start conference play after a close loss to Duke and a win over Boston College.
Here’s everything to know about Georgia Tech (10-5, 1-1 ACC) before its matchup with Syracuse (9-5, 0-1 ACC) on Tuesday:
All time series
Syracuse leads 9-8.
Last time they played
The Orange corralled their first ACC victory on Jan. 7 last season by taking down the Yellow Jackets. Syracuse foreshadowed its potent defensive improvements with its best performance of the year as it allowed just 55 points for a seven-point victory. Georgia Tech had little going offensively with Lance Terry and future SU point guard Naithan George combining for 31-of-55 points.
Elijah Moore started for the Orange but played just 17 minutes, while Jaquan Carlos came off the bench for only 10 minutes. J.J. Starling, like in most games in his junior campaign, led the way offensively with a game-high 21 points. Eddie Lampkin Jr. posted a double-double as Georgia Tech shot a horrific 36% from the field. Syracuse went on to capture its second ACC win just four days later versus Boston College.
KenPom Odds
Syracuse has a 54% chance of winning, with a projected score of 73-72.
The Yellow Jackets report
Without George and Akir Souare, Georgia Tech has transformed its roster from just a season ago. Four of its top five scorers have departed. Lance Terry and Javian McCollum play overseas, while Duncan Powell moved on to Providence and George, of course, to SU. Baye Ndongo, a 6-foot-9 forward, returned and is averaging 11.2 points per game with 7.7 rebounds.
The Yellow Jackets are in their third season under head coach Damon Stoudamire. Known as “mighty mouse,” Stoudamire made a name for himself in the NBA as the 1995-96 Rookie of the Year and stuck around for 13 seasons. He moved into coaching and assisted with the Boston Celtics before taking over GT.
In his first two years helming the Yellow Jackets, they struggled to find momentum, finishing 14-18 in Year 1 and 17-17 in Year 2. Year 3 is off to a similar start, though Georgia Tech lost close matchups to Georgia and Duke, two teams ranked inside KenPom’s top 30. GT enters ranked 118th in the country per KenPom and 14th in the ACC standings.
After George and Terry left town, GT was built through its frontcourt this year. Forward Kowacie Reeves Jr. returned from injury to lead the Yellow Jackets in scoring. Ndongo continued his numbers from a season ago and 6-foot-10 center Mouhamed Sylla is close to averaging a double-double in his freshman campaign.
Like Syracuse, Georgia Tech has a strong defense and middling offense. GT holds opponents to a 45.1 effective field goal percentage, 20th best in the country. Its offensive effective field goal mark ranks 144th in the nation, and from 2-point range it is shooting only 50%.
How Syracuse beats Georgia Tech
SU moves into the win column in ACC play with a few simple tasks. First, Freeman must get going early and often. While he came off the bench in his return, Freeman played 28 minutes and Autry stuck with him down the stretch. He should start Tuesday, and be Syracuse’s ignitor from start to finish.
Additionally, the Orange must protect the paint. Clemson outscored them 46-24 inside, which made a comeback effort in the closing minutes more difficult. With Freeman playing more, he and William Kyle III must bunker down to force the opponent out. Once they do that, SU must then turn its attention to Reeves Jr. on the perimeter.
Stat to know: -2.0
Despite Georgia Tech coming off a victory in conference play, it possesses a key flaw. The Yellow Jackets enter Tuesday with the worst turnover margin in the ACC at -2.0. GT leads the conference in turnovers per game (13.9) and is 12th in opponents’ turnovers per game (11.9). The squad is one of just four in the conference with a negative ratio.
Ironically, George nears the top of the ACC in turnovers per game with 2.7. As George is now at Syracuse instead of Georgia Tech, the porous tallies come from multiple culprits for the Yellow Jackets. Lamar Washington leads the way with 2.7 and Baye Ndongo is close by with 2.1. Seven GT players average over 1.0 turnovers per game, and it just turned the ball over 14 times against Boston College on Saturday.
Player to watch: Kowacie Reeves Jr., forward, No. 14
Stoudamire was a star guard himself, yet it’s a forward leading the way in his third season helming the Yellow Jackets. Reeves Jr. averages a team-high 16.0 points per game with an efficient 41.2% 3-point mark on 80 attempts. For perspective, the Orange have zero players with three or more attempts from 3 shooting over 35%.
A redshirt senior out of the state of Georgia, Reeves Jr. originally chose Florida for college. He played for the Gators for two years before transferring back home to kickstart Stoudamire’s reign. He started every game in the 2023-24 season but appeared in only six last year before a season-ending injury. Slowing Reeves Jr., especially from deep range, will be vital for Syracuse to capture its first ACC win.
