Syracuse vs Virginia: Game preview, TV schedule, prediction
The hottest team in the country, Virginia, will have a tough test on their hands this weekend as they travel to the Carrier Dome to face Syracuse.
TV Schedule: Saturday, February 3rd, 4:00 PM Eastern, ESPN Full Court
Arena: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York.
Outside of one slip up against West Virginia, Tony Bennett and the Virginia Cavaliers have been perfect this season. Currently riding a 13-game win streak, the Cavaliers sit on top of the ACC with a flawless 10-0 conference mark. Virginia has been utterly dominant in their last three games too, beating two ranked teams in the span.
They held then-No. 18 ranked Clemson to just 36 points and also beat fourth-ranked Duke. Most recently, they cruised to a win over Louisville by shooting 53 % from the field. This is no small feat either as the Cardinals sit in fourth place in the ACC.
Their opponent over the weekend, Syracuse, is flat-lining in conference play after a successful non-conference run. After winning three straight games, two of them against cellar dwellers Pittsburgh, they lost their most recent game to Georgia Tech. Neither team was particularly sharp in that game either, with the Orange shooting only 30%. Though the Yellow Jackets shot 33%, they were able to turn Syracuse over 15 times. The end result saw Georgia Tech win the game by five points.
With a 4-5 conference mark, Syracuse is in jeopardy of seeing their season go to waste if they lose many more. Unfortunately for them, their remaining schedule includes Virginia, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Clemson, and Duke. Surely, Jim Boeheim has to be shaking in his boots for this gauntlet.
Needless to say, the Orange have their work cut out for them against Virginia. They have the challenge of guarding Kyle Guy and Devon Hall, who both average over 12 points per game on at least 43% shooting. Throw in Ty Jerome and his 43% clip from long range. However, one redeeming quality about Syracuse is how good their defense has been. The classic zone defense that Jim Boeheim employs only gives up 63 points per game, a top-10 mark in the nation.
The three-headed monster of Tyus Battle, Frank Howard, and Oshae Brissett lead Syracuse offensively. All three players average over 14 points per game with Battle averaging 19. Outside of Battle, who shoots nearly 43% each game, Howard and Brissett are rather inefficient. Both shoot under 40% from the field, which is below Syracuse’s team average of 42%. Against UVA, those three offensive stars run into a stout defense, as the Cavaliers only surrender 52 points per game. That incredibly low number is the best in the nation, a precedent Tony Bennett has set consistently in his time at Virginia.
We have some evidence that points to this game’s possible result. These two teams played in early January in Charlottesville. That game saw Virginia win by only seven points, 68-61. The Cavaliers shot well below their season averages both from the field and long range. However, the Orange were awful from long range, only shooting 29% on 21 attempts. Despite out-rebounding Virginia by 10, Syracuse still lost.
Much of this has to do with the Cavaliers getting to the free throw line more often in that game. They doubled up Syracuse on free throw attempts and shot 86% from the line too. Quite frankly, that may have been the deciding factor in the ultimate outcome.
This will be a different game, though. The Carrier Dome will be as loud as ever and the home court will be advantageous for the Orange. Yet, I do not think Virginia will be beaten on the glass as bad as they were in their last match-up. Neither team will shoot as poorly as they did the last time they met either.
In the end, I think it will come down to who plays a more stingy defensive game for the 40 full minutes. Given the evidence I have, I am more inclined to say Virginia will do that. This season may finally be the one where Tony Bennett’s team lives up to its potential. In order for that to occur, they will need to beat Syracuse in a hostile environment.
Prediction: Virginia 67, Syracuse 58