No. 10 seed Syracuse (22-13, 9-9 Atlantic Coast) will take on No. 1 seed Virginia (29-7, 13-5) at 6:09 p.m. Sunday in the Elite Eight. The Orange is coming off a dramatic win over 11th-seeded Gonzaga (28-8, 15-3 West Coast) to advance to its third Elite Eight in five years.

Here’s how beat writers Sam Blum, Jesse Dougherty and Matt Schneidman predict the matchup to unfold.

Sam Blum (21-14)

Virginia 68, Syracuse 60

Game over 

Syracuse’s season has officially been defined by this incredible NCAA Tournament run. By the time the Orange takes the court on Sunday, there will only be five teams left vying for an National Championship. This year, because of that, has been a success. The image of Tyler Lydon’s block will never be forgotten. But Virginia is the best team left in this Tournament. It might have been the best when it began. It dictates tempo and scores in bunches and play fantastic defense. It’s really hard to beat that team. This will be a good game, but it will also be SU’s last.

Jesse Dougherty (23-12)

Virginia 59, Syracuse 54

Hoo?

Syracuse is obviously on a very big high, but Virginia looked awesome in its lopsided win over Iowa State on Friday and does not look like a No. 1 seed that’s going to lose to a No. 10. The Cyclones dropped into a 2-3 zone for some of that game, and Cavaliers point guard London Perrantes looked like a one-man wrecking ball against it. And while the Orange zone is way better than whatever ISU patched together, Perrantes’ keen ability to find the cracks and open teammates will translate (enough) to breaking down SU’s defense. Michael Gbinije was the man against Gonzaga, but first-team All-American Malcolm Brogdon wasn’t on the court. Now he is, and that’s trouble for Syracuse’s most consistent source of offense.

Matt Schneidman (25-10)

Virginia 71, Syracuse 66

Broken slipper

Regardless of whether Syracuse takes down the top-seeded Cavaliers or not, this run has been a magical one for the Orange. It has a chance to be the highest-ever seed to win a national title, but those hopes come crashing down at the hands of an efficient, stingy Virginia team that boasts a deadly balance of offensive and defensive prowess. SU doesn’t play badly by any means, but its ACC foe, led by Brogdon and Perrantes, is simply too good offensively and a Cinderella run comes to an end in Chicago.

Published on March 26, 2016 at 1:36 pm