To avoid playing in the opening round of the conference tournament next Tuesday, Syracuse (17-13, 9-8 Atlantic Coast) needs to beat Georgia Tech (17-13, 8-9) on Saturday in the Carrier Dome. The Yellow Jackets topped the Orange, 71-65, two weeks ago in Atlanta, and SU will get a chance to avenge that loss when the ball tips at 4 p.m. on Senior Day.

Here’s everything you need to know about Josh Pastner’s team.

All-time series: Tied, 4-4

Last time they played: Syracuse let a nine-point lead in the first half turn into another double-digit second half deficit at McCamish Pavilion. Tyler Lydon hit a free throw to bring SU within two with under a minute remaining. But the Orange couldn’t close the deal after a Tyler Roberson illegal screen prevented the Orange from getting a shot at tying or taking the lead. Taurean Thompson scored a team-high 18 points while Andrew White’s then-seven-game streak of scoring 20 or more points ended as the fifth-year senior only posted 17. Ben Lammers led the way for GT with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven blocks.

The Georgia Tech report: Since beating Syracuse, the Yellow Jackets have won only one of three. Losses to lowly North Carolina State and then-No. 21 Notre Dame, and a win against Pittsburgh, have Pastner’s team presumably on the same ground as Syracuse heading into the last game of the regular season. Georgia Tech has risen in Kenpom.com’s defensive efficiency rating to No. 5 in the country coming off a win against the Panthers in which GT only surrendered 52 points. Lammers still leads the way, but freshman Josh Okogie and junior Tadric Jackson are capable of jumpstarting an offense that hasn’t done much damage during conference play.

How Syracuse beats the Yellow Jackets: The Orange will need to shoot much better from 3-point range to avoid the offensive slump that plagued it at the beginning of the second half the last time the two teams met. As SU saw in Atlanta, Lammers and company are one of the best defensive frontcourts in the country and taking the ball to the rim won’t work out that often. An 8-for-30 mark from 3 simply won’t get it done against GT, especially when buckets are hard to come by inside. That means Andrew White needs to shake his slump from deep and a host of others may need to chip in from distance as well.

Stat to know: 11 – Syracuse only scored 11 points off 15 Georgia Tech turnovers two weeks ago. The Yellow Jackets are one of the worst teams in the country at taking care of the ball, and SU needs to convert more of those chances gifted to it if it wants a first-round bye next week.

Player to watch: Josh Okogie, forward, No. 5

A potential All-ACC Freshman honoree, Okogie has flown under the radar behind Lammers this season. Okogie managed 13 points and six rebounds in Atlanta and is the most-used player on the team in Kenpom’s possessions used category. He has scored in double figures in each of the last nine ACC games and has posted over 20 points five times in league competition.

Published on March 2, 2017 at 10:24 pm

Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman