Remember Josh Pastner’s face shield...
Melina Myers-Imagn Images
The Syracuse Orange (6-8, 0-3) return home tomorrow to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-7, 2-2). The game tips off at 7:00 ET on the ACC Network/WatchESPN and here’s what we’re watching for in this one:
Kevin: Locate the shooters
Georgia Tech has two players hitting over 40% from 3 this season - Lance Terry and Javian McCollum - so the Orange need to do a better job of communicating and going over screens. Syracuse’s defense has been awful and if they want to get the first ACC win of the season, they need to focus and expend more effort on that end of the floor.
Mike: Go Blow for Blow
I have little doubt that the Yellow Jackets will cause issues on the wings so the Orange need to match that with some outside shooting of their own. Chris Bell may have finally found his stride coming off the bench so will he stay there as Lucas Taylor gets another start? At the same time Elijah Moore has been eerily quiet - some combo of those three need to have an impact from the arc to keep pace here.
Max: Make a living at the foul line
The Yellow Jackets hold an advantage over the Orange in nearly every statistical category except when it comes to fouling. GT commits fouls at one of the worst rates in the ACC (18 per game), and that should come in handy for Syracuse, who racks up nearly 25% of its points at the free-throw line (highest rate of any ACC team in conference play). We know outside shooting isn’t a strong suit for Autry’s crew, so pound the rock inside and get rewarded with chances at the charity stripe.
Szuba: Turnover battle
Over the last four games Syracuse has turned the ball over 75 times. The Orange are in the bottom 300 in the country when it comes to turning the other team over and Georgia Tech is just behind Syracuse in that category. In other words, Georgia Tech doesn’t turn teams over, either. With ball security becoming more problematic, can Syracuse value possession of the basketball in a game such as this and limit points off turnovers?
