Up against a mercilessly accurate and voluminous 3-point barrage, Georgia Tech stood no chance.
Syracuse hammered the Yellow Jackets with 15 3-pointers, providing the fuel for a 90-61 win over Tech on Sunday at the Carrier Dome.
“They play really well together,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said of Tech. “When we shoot like that, we’re going to beat anybody.”
In the regular-season finale, Tech (17-14, 8-10 ACC) may have seen its NCAA tournament hopes evaporate on Jim Boeheim Court, barring a run to the ACC championship and an automatic berth. According to CBS Sports bracketologist Jerry Palm, no team has earned an at-large bid with 15 losses in the 23 years that he has charted the selection process. Tech would lose its 15th game of the season if it were to be eliminated from the ACC tournament.
Syracuse (18-13, 10-8) lit up Tech with 40 points from graduate transfer guard Andrew White, who made eight of nine 3-point attempts in one of the most deadly individual performances against the Jackets in Tech history.
Here are five observations from the game:
Where the game was lost
There were two critical segments. The Jackets lost control of the game early when Syracuse guard Tyus Battle started the game 3-for-3 from 3-point range to lift the Orange to a 13-4 lead at the 15:58 mark, setting the tone for the afternoon. They pushed the lead to 16 before the end of the half.
After halftime, the Jackets punched back, scoring the first nine points to cut the lead to 38-35. Down 44-37, the Jackets lost the ball on an over-and-back, missed a 3-pointer, lost the ball on a travel, had a shot blocked on an off-balance drive and then missed a wide-open 3-pointer. Syracuse didn’t score in that sequence, but Tech squandered the opportunity to challenge the Orange.
3-point flurry
The Jackets have often lived dangerously this season, as a number of ACC opponents have had awful 3-point shooting games despite having clear looks at the basket, in part because Tech’s mix of defenses throws off rhythm. On Saturday, the Orange drank deeply beyond the arc, making shots both open and contested, 15-for-23 altogether (65.2 percent). It’s the most 3-pointers Tech has given up in an ACC game and the highest percentage for an opponent with 20 or more 3-point attempts.
“When I started thinking about it, I was like, ‘Geez, these dudes are not missing,’” Tech forward Quinton Stephens said.
Tech had started the game ranked fourth in the ACC in 3-point field-goal percentage defense, at 32.8 percent.
“We obviously could have done a better job defensively, but some of their guys were just hot,” center Ben Lammers said. “When that happens, there’s only so much you can really do.”
Boeheim’s backing
Boeheim offered his endorsement of Lammers for most improved player of the year and Josh Pastner for coach of the year in the ACC.
“Lammers is a really good player,” he said. “He made some really good blocks (Saturday). He’s easily, to me, the most improved player in our league. He’s really come a long ways.”
Boeheim called Tech the biggest surprise in the league “by far” after the Jackets were picked to finish 14th, but then defeated Top 25 teams North Carolina, Florida State and Notre Dame. He said Pastner should be ACC coach of the year “without any question.”
Pastner would join Bobby Cremins (three times) and Paul Hewitt (once) as Tech coaches to win the ACC honor. The ACC is scheduled to announce its all-conference team and award winners at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Tech limited again on offense
The Jackets, who have been held to 65 points or fewer in 11 ACC games, had no answer for Syracuse’s firepower. The league’s least accurate 3-point shooting team (33.8 percent) was 5-for-20 behind the arc, turned the ball over 15 times, took just 11 only throws (to Syracuse’s 22) and missed a series of makeable shots close to the basket.
After playing with increasing facility against Syracuse’s zone in the first meeting, a 71-65 win Feb. 19, the Jackets looked uncomfortable and tentative against the Orange on Saturday.
“I think their zone, they made their adjustments to playing us the last time,” Stephens said. “You could tell some of the creases that we found earlier, they were able to get a couple of them, a couple turnovers.”
Next up
Tech will be the No. 11 seed in the ACC tournament, which begins Tuesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Jackets will play No. 14-seed Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. Tech defeated the Panthers 61-52 on Tuesday at McCamish Pavilion in the teams’ only meeting.
During the under-four timeout, with the game out of reach, Pastner said, “I said, ‘Hey, this game’s over. Our focus now moves straight to Pitt.’”
The winner of the Tech-Pitt game will face Virginia at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
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