The Orange crumble against Georgia Tech in another blowout loss

A nightmare season continues for Syracuse (16-14, 8-9 Atlantic Coast Conference) as the Orange collapse against Georgia Tech 96-76. This extends a four-game losing streak for Syracuse, a streak that includes four straight losses of 15 or more points. To add salt on the wound, the Orange have allowed 90 points in their last three games, an alarming trend this late in the season. 

Georgia Tech came to play. They tied their season high of 96 points in a game, a feat they haven’t achieved since November 12. This was accomplished by their absurd efficiency on offense, shooting 52% from the field and posting 27 assists with only nine turnovers. The most jarring stat of the night for Georgia Tech was their 18 three pointers, a school record for the program. 

The Yellow Jackets had not one, but three players score over 20 points in the game. Miles Kelly had a career night, scoring 30 points and nailing seven threes on the Orange. Lance Terry, who didn’t play in their last matchup, had 24 points and matched Kelly’s seven triples. Sturdivant ended with 20 as the trio terrorized Syracuse in front of their home fans. 

Eventually, the home crowd grew restless and started to rain boos down from the stands. Coach Boehiem apologized to the fans after the game for the team not competing defensively. Around seven minutes into the second half, Syracuse switched from their usual zone to a man to man defense. This switch has been the topic of much debate this season; slight cheers could be heard in the JMA Wireless Dome during this period of time. 

The Orange eventually switched back to their usual style of defense, as the switch would not change the result of the already out of hand game. Both teams emptied their benches in a slight agreement by both teams that the game was competitively over, with Georgia Tech rolling over Syracuse. 

With the season winding down, there will be many questions about the future of the team, as tournament hopes are all but a sweet fantasy at this point. Joe Girard III and Jesse Edwards, the two leaders of the team are in their senior seasons, so questions about their future undoubtedly will be on the minds of the Orange. With the new state of college athletics and the transfer portal, no player is guaranteed to stay over the course of the offseason. 

Syracuse still has a number of young players on their roster, something that could be looked at positively as the season ends. 

“I hope they’re embarrassed,” Coach Boeheim said after the game in regards to what they could take from this game. 

Syracuse will play Wake Forest at the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday at 5:00 p.m. It will be their last game before the ACC Tournament.