Syracuse men’s basketball faces Georgia Tech as Naithan George and Akir Souare return to Atlanta

It’s a homecoming for guard Nait George and forward Akir Souare of Syracuse men’s basketball (9-5, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). SU meets up with Georgia Tech (9-5, 0-1 ACC) Tuesday night at 7 p.m., in George and Souare’s first game back where their collegiate careers started.

Both players began their careers at Georgia Tech in the 2023-24 season. George shined in his freshman year, starting in 28 of the 29 games he played and averaging nearly 10 points and five assists in conference play. Souare however, didn’t see the court and ended up redshirting.

The next season brought much of the same success for George. He earned an All-ACC Honorable Mention spot, after putting up 13.5 points per game and a conference leading 6.5 assists per game. Souare finally found the court, starting in 14 of 30 games, but averaged just under three points and four boards a contest.

After two straight seasons losing in the first round of the ACC Tournament, the two players entered the transfer portal and found their way to Syracuse.

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Now in the 2025-26 season, George, Souare and the Orange find themselves 9-5 overall and 0-1 in conference play. SU suffered its first loss in conference play, 64-61 to Clemson on New Year’s Eve.

Despite meeting his season average of ten points, half of the points came from free throws, and George went 2-for-9 from the field. While slightly disappointed in some shots, head coach Adrian Autry knew nights like those come with how George plays.

“I thought early he came out being ultra aggressive. I thought he took a couple of shots that we wished we could take back,” Autry said, “but we need him to be ultra aggressive.”

Someone who did have success for the Orange, forward Donnie Freeman. The sophomore scored all of his 18 points in the second half on 5-of-11 shooting.

Freeman had been sidelined since SU’s win over Monmouth on Dec. 18, but seemed to have no trouble getting back on track.

“He stayed connected with our guys. That’s a big thing that we do, is staying connected through injuries,” Autry said.

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On the other side of the court is a red-hot Gerogia Tech squad. The Yellow Jackets are 5-1 in their last six games, with their one loss coming against No. 6 Duke 85-79. In that six game span GT has outscored opponents by just over 11 points on average.

The leader behind Georgia tech’s success is forward Kowacie Reeves. The redshirt senior scored 19 points per game on over 50% from the field in the recent stretch, scored his 1000th point at GT and also made some highlight reel plays.

Prior to playing for the Yellow Jackets, Reeves spent two years at Florida where he started just 17 out of 60 games. After his departure from the Gators and finding his new home in Atlanta, he has started in all 52 games he has played in.

Tuesday is going to be Reeves first time playing in the Dome. The forward played in just 6 games last season before suffering a foot injury that forced him out for the remainder of the year.

After the Clemson game, Adrian Autry was sure of what the team had to do grab their first ACC win.

“We want to be in rhythm, we want to play a little bit slower, freer,” Autry said.

Coverage Tuesday begins on 88.3 FM and waer.org with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff at 6:30 p.m. ET.