Yellow Jacked Up
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Georgia Tech Basketball: Jackets To ‘White Out’ Syracuse At Sold Out McCamish

By Blake Silvers

Dec 28, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Josh Pastner talks with with guard Justin Moore (0) in the first half of their game against the North Carolina A&T Aggies at McCamish Pavilion. Georgia Tech won 59-52. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Josh Pastner talks with with guard Justin Moore (0) in the first half of their game against the North Carolina A&T Aggies at McCamish Pavilion. Georgia Tech won 59-52. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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A sold-out crowd will be on hand when the Yellow Jackets host the skidding Orange on Sunday at McCamish Pavilion. Designated a “white out” game for fans, both teams will be looking to get back in the win column as the season winds down.

Georgia Tech (15-11, 6-7 ACC), coming off a loss to Miami, will host Syracuse (16-11, 8-6 ACC) in a key late-season Atlantic Coast Conference matchup Sunday at McCamish Pavilion.

After an impressive mid-season run, the Orange are coming off a pair of disappointing conference losses, and both teams need a win to bolster their post-season prospects.

The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m., and the sellout crowd has been asked to wear white in support of the Yellow Jackets. It is the third sold out home game for Tech this season.

This will be the first of two meetings between the Jackets and the Orange this season, as the two teams will face off in New York to wrap up the season on March 4

Last Time Out:

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Tech couldn’t capitalize on mistakes by the Hurricanes in their 71-60 road loss to Miami on Wednesday night. The Jackets stayed close in both halves, even taking the lead several times, but couldn’t pull it all together.

“We got our butts kicked on the glass, got our butts kicked at the free throw line,” Pastner said of his team’s performance in Coral Gables. “Our margin for error is zero. If we’re not perfect or darn near perfection, it’s hard for us.”

Georgia Tech was outrebounded by Miami 31-17, and lost the turnover battle to the Hurricanes 17-12. The Jackets had a 28-22 advantage on points in the paint, and shot 48.1 percent from the floor, a season high.

Listen to more from Coach Pastner speaking to the media on Friday HERE.

Know the Opponent:

Syracuse is collectively hitting 46 percent of its field goals, compared to Georgia Tech at just shy of 44 percent on the season. The Orange are around 72 percent from the free throw line, and 38 percent from beyond the three.

Tech has lost the last two meetings, 46-45 in 2015 at McCamish, and 60-57 last season at the Carrier Dome. The Orange holds a 4-3 lead between the two programs all time.

The Orange are 2-6 in road games for the 2016-17 season so far, while the Jackets are 13-3 at home thus far.

Players to Watch:

Georgia Tech: G Josh Okogie

Continuing his impressive freshman season, Josh Okogie has led Georgia Tech in scoring three of the last four times out, and leads his team in points-per-game with 15.4 on the season. When Okogie performs, the Yellow Jackets usually win or are in good position to win.

Syracuse: G Andrew White III

As his team’s points-per-game leader, senior Andrew White has been the leading scorer for Syracuse in three of the last four wins for the Orange. Much like his Tech counterpart Josh Okogie, he also led his team in a close loss to Louisville last time out. The Kansas and Nebraska transfer is averaging 17.9 points-per-game going into Sunday’s game, and when he exceeds that average, the Orange usually pick up a win.

Prediction:

In a game that featured two evenly matched teams with similar records, both coming off losses, a rowdy home crowd on a holiday weekend will be the tie breaking factor in this one. Look for the Yellow Jackets to feed off the energy at the new Thriller Dome, and pick up one more win down the stretch.