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Atlantic Coast Conference play is upon us. Syracuse began its pivotal conference slate, one that will likely determine the future of its coaching staff, with a narrow loss to Clemson. The Tigers jumped ahead in the second half, and the Orange couldn’t respond despite a heroic effort by Donnie Freeman in his return from injury.

Next on the schedule — and SU’s first opponent of 2026 — is Georgia Tech. The former school of Syracuse point guard Naithan George and forward Akir Souare nearly pulled off the ultimate upset in its conference opener.

The Yellow Jackets led Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium by four at halftime, but collapsed in the second half. Days later, GT hosted Boston College and pulled away late to secure its first ACC win of the season. Entering Tuesday, the Orange are one of four ACC teams without a conference win yet.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (9-5, 0-1 ACC) will fare against Georgia Tech (10-5, 1-1 ACC) Tuesday in Atlanta:

Aiden Stepansky (10-4)
Syracuse’s style
Syracuse 65, Georgia Tech 60

Well, if you haven’t realized by now, Syracuse likes to play defense and dislikes offense. SU, whether Adrian Autry wants to admit it or not, lacks an offensive identity. However, the Orange’s defense has been stellar and will allow them to beat teams of the caliber of Georgia Tech.

Yes, the Yellow Jackets looked in control against Duke on its home floor. And they beat Boston College by double digits. But if you watched the second half against the Blue Devils and the first 30 minutes versus the Eagles, GT didn’t look all that impressive. Georgia Tech’s offense has been a rollercoaster of its own, scoring 79 against Duke but only 65 versus BC.

GT has one of the worst turnover rates in the country and shoots just 50% from 2-point range. Both play into Autry’s desires of “defensive battles.” This game could be close if Freeman is slowed down early. But if Freeman finds his footing within the first 10 minutes, he should be able to exploit the Yellow Jackets and spread the floor enough for SU to produce some points.

Again, it won’t be pretty, and the questions surrounding Syracuse’s offense won’t disappear anytime soon. But, in the ACC, which seems to be full of capable teams this year thus far, Syracuse should be happy getting any victories it can muster.

Cooper Andrews (11-3)
The Nait George game
Syracuse 71, Georgia Tech 67

It’s high time for George — Syracuse’s marquee transfer portal acquisition who Autry said the Orange had to aggressively compete for financially — to make his mark. The point guard is turning the ball over nearly three times per game and is the second-worst shooter (41.8%) in SU’s rotation.

But there’s no better time for George to find his groove and take over a game than against Georgia Tech, his former team. The ACC’s reigning assist leader will show why Syracuse prioritized him in the transfer portal, dishing out 10-plus assists and knocking down crucial shots late to give the Orange a win over the Yellow Jackets.

As Aiden touched on, SU currently has zero offensive identity. Autry says J.J. Starling and Freeman need to be the guys Syracuse runs its offense through, but to be frank, George must be the focal point. If the Orange can move well off the ball — which they haven’t done yet this season — George will not only hit open guys with regularity, but create his own shooting space, something he hasn’t been able to do this year.

SU needs to shy away from high pick and rolls and dribble handoffs being the only tools in its offensive arsenal. Let the game run through George, and show Georgia Tech what it’s been missing without its former top guard.

Justin Girshon (10-4)
Gritty not pretty
Syracuse 68, Georgia Tech 66

While my fellow scribes rightfully claim Syracuse doesn’t have an offensive identity, Autry’s Army (is that disrespectful to TBT’s Boeheim’s Army?) has a word that could describe the identity their head coach desires: gritty. Gritty can mean a lot of different things, but in this case, I can tell you what it certainly isn’t: pretty.

That’s because there’s pretty much nothing pretty about SU’s offense. Once Syracuse’s sets get blown up, isolation ball and ball screens become the only form of offense. When the Orange shoot free throws and 3-pointers, they have been as off-the-mark as a drunk guy at the bar trying to nail a bullseye while playing darts. Starling, George and Kingz haven’t stepped up the way the Orange have needed them.

But even with all of that said, this team fights. And, as seen last time out versus Clemson, it can fight — which isn’t the same as winning — against good ACC teams. Luckily for Syracuse, Georgia Tech probably doesn’t qualify as a “good” ACC team.

While going on the road for the first time in conference play surely isn’t an easy thing, SU will go pound for pound with the Yellow Jackets before its talent wins out in the end. As Cooper said, it’s a great opportunity for George to play some high-quality basketball, and I can see him making a game-changing play down the stretch to win the game.

Published on January 5, 2026 at 6:33 pm