Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Divisional Round
Georgia Tech will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak when it hosts Syracuse on Saturday afternoon. The Orange had their two-game winning streak snapped in an 82-78 loss at then-No. 17 Miami on Monday. Georgia Tech has only recorded one win in ACC play, which came against Miami in an upset earlier this month.
Syracuse got off to a slow start this season, losing four of its first seven games. The Orange responded with seven wins in their next eight contests, including three of their first four ACC games. They suffered their second conference loss in a 73-66 setback at then-No. 11 Virginia on Jan. 7 before beating Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. Syracuse was unable to maintain that momentum, losing to No. 17 Miami by four points on Monday. The Orange held an 11-point lead with 14:44 remaining, but they were unable to hold onto that advantage. Jesse Edwards scored a team-high 25 points and completed his double-double with 11 rebounds.
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Jesse Edwards season stats:
?? 13.9 PPG
?? 11.0 RPG (2nd, ACC)
?? .586 FG% (2nd, ACC)
?? 2.8 BPG (1st, ACC) pic.twitter.com/AUih89vlF7— Syracuse Men's Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) January 20, 2 023
The Orange have relied on their offense to win games this season, as they rank inside the top 120 nationally in effective field goal percentage, turnover rate and offensive rebounding rate. They are knocking down 36.3% of their 3-pointers and are No. 11 in offensive block percentage. Syracuse has a height advantage in this matchup, but it is an inexperienced team (No. 284). Senior guard Joseph Girard III leads the Orange with 16.9 points and 3.1 assists per game, while Judah Mintz (14.9) and Edwards (13.9) are both in double figures as well. They are facing a Georgia Tech defense that is No. 95 in field goal percentage.