Virginia vs. Syracuse: 2021 ACC Tournament game preview, TV schedule

The Virginia Cavaliers and the Syracuse Orange are set to face off in the first quarterfinal game of the ACC Tournament.

TV schedule: Thursday, March 11, 12:00 pm ET. ESPN or ESPN2

Arena: Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina

Virginia comes in as the No. 1 seed in the tournament, as Syracuse comes in as the No. 8 seed. The Cavaliers received the top seed after going 13-4 in ACC regular-season play. They were rewarded a first and second-round bye.

As for the Orange, they played the red hot North Carolina State Wolfpack on Wednesday in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. The story was all about Syracuse’s shooting. The Orange, finished the day shooting 56.7% from the field and 48.3% from deep.

Buddy Boeheim, led the Orange with 27 points on 10-16 shooting from the floor. Joe Girard III added 14 points, and Quincy Guerrier and Alan Griffin both notched 12 points.

According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, Syracuse is among the first four out. With a possible statement win against Virginia on Thursday, the Orange would move into the last four in.

Syracuse has previously played Virginia this season. On Jan. 25, the Cavaliers defeated the Orange 81-51. Senior forwards Sam Hauser, and Jay Huff, led the way for the Cavaliers the first time around both having 21 points. Virginia had 14 3-pointers and out-rebounded Syracuse by 13 rebounds.

According to TeamRankings, Virginia averages 31.7 rebounds a game which ranks them 305th in the country. Last time these two teams met, the Cavaliers collected 41 rebounds off the glass.

For Syracuse, they average 36.3 rebounds per game ranking them 102nd in the country. This is a must-win game for the Orange in order to punch a ticket into the big dance. To win, Syracuse needs to out-rebound Virginia and improve their shooting from the last time.

As a team, Syracuse shot 37.3% from the field and 20.8% from three in their loss. For the season, Syracuse shoots on average 43.6% from the field. Buddy Boeheim also has to continue his shooting success from Wednesday.

Virginia has the number three defense in the nation allowing 60.1 points per game. They have gone 2-3 in their last five games. Their last game was on March 6, against Louisville, where they won 68-58.

My predictions: The Orange plays tough for 40 minutes but the season comes to an end in Greensboro, North Carolina. Virginia’s defense proves to be too tough and that is why they’re ranked 16th in the country. This is not the same Virginia team we have seen in the past. This game will be closer than expected.

Prediction: Virginia 73, Syracuse 66