Syracuse (14-8, 4-5 Atlantic Coast) wiped the floor with No. 25 Notre Dame (14-6, 5-3) in an 81-66 win on Thursday night in the Carrier Dome. The Orange has a quick turnaround before Saturday’s noon game against Georgia Tech, a team with the ACC’s leading rebounder.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Yellow Jackets.

All-time series: Knotted at three games a piece

Last time they played: In Syracuse’s lowest scoring output of last season, the Orange beat Georgia Tech, 46-45 and both teams shot below 35 percent from the floor. Rakeem Christmas hit two foul shots with 12 seconds left to put SU up one, and GT’s Quinton Stephens hit the underside of the backboard at the buzzer. The Orange only took nine shots from behind the arc in the game. This year, Syracuse has taken more than 20 3-pointers in all but two games. The win advanced SU to 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play and 11-4 overall, led by Christmas’ 18 points and eight rebounds and Michael Gbinije’s double-double (14 and 10).

The Georgia Tech report: The Yellow Jackets have lost five of their last seven games but have lost each by single digits. They’re strongest on the inside, ranking in the top half of the conference in blocks per game (4.6) and boasting the ACC’s leading rebounder in Charles Mitchell (10.9 boards per game). The team ranks third in the league in defensive rebounds per game (27) and fourth in offensive rebounds per contest (13.7), which may pose a threat for a Syracuse team that was exposed on the glass earlier in the season. GT’s adjusted offensive efficiency of 111.6 ranks 36th in the country, according to Kenpom.com, and the Yellow Jackets average the second most shots per game in the conference with almost 63 while making more than 28 of them (fifth-most in the ACC).

Georgia Tech is led by Marcus Georges-Hunt and Adam Smith, who average 16.4 and 14.4 points per game, respectively. Mitchell averages a double-double and ranks in the top 20 in the country in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentages, per Kenpom. The Yellows Jackets have a less-than-impressive early-season loss to East Tennessee State on their resume, but GT has grabbed wins against Tennessee, Arkansas, VCU and Virginia.

 

 

How Syracuse beats Georgia Tech: If Syracuse can neutralize Mitchell and prevent him from manhandling the SU frontcourt like Duke’s Marshall Plumlee and Virginia’s Anthony Gill did, the Orange sets itself up for a win. Mitchell is second in the ACC in offensive rebounds per game, but the only player above him might be the one guarding him on Saturday. Tyler Roberson can give SU the edge like he did against Duke if he controls the glass on both ends to take away the player that is most likely to expose Syracuse where it’s thinnest.

Numbers to know:

4.6 – Georgia Tech averages the 14th most steals per game in the 15-team league with only 4.6 takeaways per contest. Syracuse shouldn’t have to worry too much about getting beat in transition.

13.7 – Tadric Jackson plays the 10th most minutes per game on GT and he still plays 13.7 minutes per game. No Yellow Jacket averages 30 minutes per game.

2.37 – According to Kenpom, the average years of experience on Georgia Tech’s roster is 2.37 years. That ranks as the ninth most experienced in the country, per the site.

136 – Georges-Hunt has taken 136 foul shots this year, which is 62 more than any other player on the team. Mitchell is second and he’s only attempted 74.

Player to watch: Nick Jacobs is the second most-used player on the team based on possessions that end with the ball in his hands, per Kenpom. He averages a respectable 11.2 points and six rebounds per game while playing 22 minutes per contest. Jacobs also shoots 82.2 percent from the foul line and gets to the line the third-most of anyone on the team. The 6-foot-8 Alabama transfer is shooting almost 49 percent from the field and has scored in double figures in each of the last five games.

Published on January 29, 2016 at 10:16 am