The last time Syracuse (8-7, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) and No. 18 Virginia (11-2, 3-1) played, the Orange scored the fewest points in the Jim Boeheim era. That season-opening loss to the defending national champions proved to be a bad omen for Syracuse’s season.

Here’s what our three beat writers think will happen on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Nick Alvarez (13-2)
Hammer the under
Virginia 62, Syracuse 38

I originally had Syracuse’s over/under for points at 34. After conversing with Josh, he bumped it up to 45. I’ll agree that that’s more realistic, but I’m still taking the under. After these teams’ first matchup, I got the sense that most SU fans braced for a down year. But even the most pessimistic fan couldn’t have envisioned what has transpired since. Injuries and inefficient play have rocked this Orange squad and, almost fittingly, they’ll settle back to .500 against the team they opened the year with. Now, I’ll play the optimist and say that it would be very Syracuse to pull off a massive upset, but aside from Elijah Hughes dropping a 40-point triple-double, give me the national champs in a rout.

Michael McCleary (10-5)
Defense wins championships?
Virginia 50, Syracuse 41

It doesn’t seem like either of these teams want to be a part of a championship, though. Virginia is still well on their way to a tournament bid, but even against the Orange, their offensive woes won’t allow them to blow SU away. Syracuse will still lose this game, but it will make for a sloppy game on both sides for sure. Because of how the Cavaliers struggle to get points from anywhere and the sizeable untapped potential of SU’s shooters, there might be an upset alert in the minds of some people. But those people most likely haven’t watched the Orange all season. There’s little reason to believe Syracuse will bounce back against one of the nation’s best defenses.

Josh Schafer (12-3)
Wahoo a defensive showdown!
Virginia 63 Syracuse 46

Last time Syracuse and Virginia played, an inexperienced Orange team struggled mightily. While Syracuse has grown significantly since the worst offensive output under Jim Boeheim, it hasn’t grown enough. The Orange don’t have enough unique ways to score and even Virginia’s struggling offense will likely find holes against Syracuse’s defense. Though the Orange will score a bit more this time around, it won’t matter. Road games in the ACC are always hard and Virginia’s defense, which ranks first in adjusted defensive efficiency is just too good for Syracuse.

Published on January 10, 2020 at 6:44 pm