Orange Head to Atlanta for Matchup with Georgia Tech

Game Details: Tuesday, January 6, Atlanta, GA, 7:00 p.m.
Live Stream: ACC Network
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Syracuse (9-5, 0-1 ACC) will head to Atlanta, Georgia for a matchup with Georgia Tech (10-5, 1-1 ACC) on Tuesday at McCamish Pavilion.

Hitting the Road
Syracuse's homestand has come to a close as the Orange are set to play away from the JMA Wireless Dome for the first time in over a month. The matchup against the Yellow Jackets also serves as Syracuse's first true road game, with the previous contests away from home all being played on a neutral site.

In December, the Orange played seven games on its home court and went 5-2 over that stretch. Syracuse wrapped up the run with its ACC opener where the Orange narrowly fell to Clemson, 64-61.

Syracuse has played just four games away from the Salt City, three of which came in Las Vegas at the Players Era Festival. The other instance was an 80-50 triumph over Drexel at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

Offensive Contributions
The Orange played the bulk of their non-conference schedule without their leading scorer, sophomore Donnie Freeman. The forward made his return to the court in the ACC opener against Clemson and made an immediate impact. Freeman poured in 18 points, all coming in the final 12 minutes against the Tigers, nearly willing the Orange to a victory in the conference opener.

While Freeman rehabbed, it was a group effort on offense. Junior Naithan George has played an important role in running the offense, dishing out 70 assists, which ranks top 10 in the ACC up to this point. He's been scoring at a higher clip as of late as well, averaging 16.5 points over his last four appearances.

Senior guard J.J. Starling has been strong since his return from injury early in the season. In 11 games back, Starling has posted double-digit scoring nine times and led the team in scoring twice. Fellow guard senior Nate Kingz has been the Orange's lead 3-point shooter this season, knocking down a team-high 22 shots from beyond the arc. He's hit at least one 3-pointer in 12 of the last 13 contests.

A pair of freshmen have made significant contributions as well, with Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White Jr. seeing court action. Anthony has scored the most total points for Syracuse with 149 over 14 games. White Jr. has grabbed 60 rebounds, the third most on the team, while averaging 7.5 points per appearance.

The 'Cuse Defense
Syracuse remains one of the nation's top defensive teams, holding foes to just 64.8 points per game on .396 shooting from the field. The Orange rank among the best in the nation when it comes to blocked shots, ranking second in blocks per game (7.1) with 99 through 14 contests.

Senior center William Kyle III has been a key piece to the Orange's defensive success thus far, recording 45 blocks this season at a rate of 3.21 per game – the second most in the nation. He has recorded at least one block in all 14 contests this year and has recorded multiple blocks in seven consecutive contests. The senior has also grabbed a team-high 112 boards. He has contributed offensively, averaging 10.0 points per appearance and has notched three double-doubles this year.

Syracuse continued its strong defensive effort against Clemson, restricting the Tigers to 64 points to match their lowest scoring output of the season, while creating 12 turnovers. The Tigers were just 4-of-16 (.250) from 3-point range, also tied for a season low. Four different Syracuse players recorded a block in the effort with Kyle III and Starling notching two and Freeman and Anthony adding one each.

Scouting Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets enter Tuesday's contest as winners of five of their last six. Georgia Tech is 1-1 in conference play after nearly upsetting Duke on New Year's Eve before defeating Boston College at home this past weekend.

Georgia Tech came within three points of Duke when their leading scorer Kowacie Reeves Jr. delivered a clutch 3-pointer with 39 seconds remaining. The Blue Devils eventually pulled out an 85-79 victory but Reeves Jr. kept them on their heels with a season-best 23 points. He is a threat from 3-point range, having connected on 33-of-80 (.412) 3-point attempts this season.

Senior guard Lamar Washington spearheaded the Yellow Jackets' most recent win against Boston College, scoring a team-high 17 points to go with 12 boards and five assists. His 12 rebounds marked a season-high and the first time he has posted a double-double this season.

Mouhamed Sylla, a freshman center, has made an immediate impact for the Yellow Jackets averaging a near double-double with 10.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest. The 6-foot-10 big man debuted with three consecutive double-doubles before adding two more before starting conference play. The Blue Devils neutralized Sylla, holding him to just eight points and three rebounds. Sylla missed the previous contest against Boston College due to an injury.

Damon Stoudamire is in his third season as the head coach for the Yellow Jackets. Since his hiring, Stoudamire has piloted Georgia Tech to a 41-40 record. Stoudamire brings a wealth of basketball experience to the program, having played at Arizona before embarking on a 13-year NBA career, and winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1995-96. He most recently served as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics before making the move to Atlanta to take over the Georgia Tech program.

Series History
The Orange and Yellow Jackets have met 19 times prior, with Syracuse owning a 10-9 edge in the series. The head coaches, Adrian Autry and Stoudamire, have squared off twice before, each of them owning one win against each other.

Syracuse won the most recent meeting between the two teams in January of 2025. Starling was the Orange's leading scorer, going for 21 points on 9-of-16 (.563) shooting in the 62-55 victory at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Syracuse Tickets
Season and individual tickets are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets

Orange Head to Atlanta for Matchup with Georgia Tech

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Players Mentioned

Kiyan Anthony

Donnie Freeman

Naithan George

Nate Kingz

William Kyle III

J.J. Starling

Sadiq White Jr.

Syracuse University Athletics