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Despite being once comfortably ahead by as much as 29 points, Syracuse weathered a furious second-half Notre Dame comeback to beat the Fighting Irish 88-85 Saturday. Even at halftime, SU held a 49-29 advantage, but ND guards Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry combined for 38 points to keep the contest close.

Judah Mintz tallied 21 points as every member of SU’s starting five finished in double figures. Chris Bell continued his recent hot shooting by canning four 3’s on 80% shooting while forward Justin Taylor scored 10 — his highest point total since Feb. 3 at Wake Forest.

Slated to play in its final home game of the season Tuesday, Syracuse hosts Virginia Tech in the first meeting this season. Despite capturing a historic 75-41 victory over cross-state rival Virginia on Feb. 19, the Hokies fell at Pittsburgh 79-64 last time out. VT point guard Sean Pedulla led all scorers with 26 points but Virginia Tech shot a lowly 40.7% from the floor and slumped to 10th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“They’re aggressive offensively and they run with pace so we have to be ready to play for 40 minutes. We just have to be ready because they’re explosive,” SU head coach Adrian Autry said about the Hokies during the ACC’s weekly coaches call Monday.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (18-10, 9-8 ACC) will fare against Virginia Tech (15-12, 7-9 ACC):

Cole Bambini (21-7)
Senior Day showdown
Syracuse 82, Virginia Tech 74

This is an interesting matchup. Syracuse, coming off an up-then-down win against Notre Dame, will host a Virginia Tech side that managed to beat Virginia by 34 but lost to Pittsburgh by 15. Both sides are perfectly capable of winning on Tuesday, but I think being at the JMA Wireless Dome has played to SU’s advantage greatly with a 13-2 record.

The Orange have to find a way to limit Pedulla and Lynn Kidd. The two are the Hokies’ main threats with the ball, but the team also has complementary 3-point shooters in Hunter Cattoor and Tyler Nickel. Maliq Brown will match up with Kidd in the front court, and with the return of Peter Carey, that can provide some relief if needed.

We know that this Syracuse squad has been very unpredictable when it comes to offense, but at home, it has been consistent. Taylor has the opportunity to build off the personal momentum from Saturday’s win and Bell has been in great form as of late. I think that will give Syracuse just enough of the edge to win its final regular-season home game.

Henry O’Brien (20-8)
What are Hokies?
Virginia Tech 79, Syracuse 78

Syracuse really doesn’t need a toss-up for its last home game of the season. You probably would rather have a weaker squad to face to get better seeding for the ACC Tournament. But Virginia Tech is just as intriguing and frustrating, picking up double-digit wins over Clemson, but also blowout losses versus Pittsburgh.

The Hokies have the 44th-best adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom and shoot 79% from the charity stripe, a mark that ranks fifth-best in the country. With Cattoor having the 12th-best true shooting percentage in the country, he will be a nightmare for the Orange if they run the 2-3 zone.

Who knows what will happen Tuesday evening. It could be a blowout win for the Orange or another tight contest where they either pull out a win or a heartbreaking defeat. I think VT’s shooters and Kidd down low facing Brown will be too much for Syracuse to handle.

Tyler Schiff (22-6)
Late push
Syracuse 90, Virginia Tech 83

Virginia Tech is a puzzling side — one that’s beaten Clemson and now-No. 8 ranked Iowa State this season, but it has also lost to teams like Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. The Hokies run their high-octane offense through Pedulla — a steady and crafty floor general — who is capable of hitting pull-up 3s and converting on tough finishes inside.

Though VT doesn’t present many matchup problems for Syracuse, the Orange need to keep an eye out for sharpshooters Cattoor and Nickel. Last year, Cattoor cashed in on six 3s for 20 points against SU while Nickel — an under-the-radar sophomore — has shown flashes in 2023-24, impressing with 24 points in a win over Clemson on Jan. 10.

And of course, given Syracuse’s thin, undersized frontcourt, keep an eye on the battle between Brown and VT’s 6-foot-10 Kidd. Though Brown should be able to handle the center defensively — and can share minutes with Carey, now back from concussion protocol — Kidd’s racked up five double-doubles this season including a 31-point, 11-rebound outburst on Dec. 31.

The Orange are perfectly capable of picking up a win Tuesday and inching closer to the upper half of the ACC standings. But losing at home to a middling Hokies squad could effectively dash all confidence heading into postseason play.

Published on February 26, 2024 at 11:16 pm