Syracuse (12-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast) takes on No. 3 Virginia (14-1, 3-0) in Charlottesville, Virginia, at 8 p.m. The Orange has lost three of its last five games, including two-straight conference losses to Wake Forest and Notre Dame. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have ridden their vaunted defense to a 14-1 mark, including a win over then-No. 12 North Carolina on Saturday.

See how our beat writers think SU will fare.

Matthew Gutierrez (14-2)
Cavalier about it
Virginia 70, Syracuse 54

The third-ranked team in the country will host a sliding Syracuse squad and come away with a double-digit win. Virginia gives up a nation-best 52.5 points per game, creating an unwelcome situation Tuesday night for the Orange’s sputtering offense. The Cavaliers are such a mismatch for the Orange that heck, they could come out cavalier about this game and still win.

Sam Fortier (12-4)
Hoos your daddy
Virginia 59, Syracuse 43

Much has been made of Virginia’s defense, and deservedly so, but the Cavs are also a solid offensive unit as well. With Mamadi Diakite in at the center position, they can pretty much score from all five spots. UVA head coach Tony Bennett has also been using a lot of guard-heavy lineups that doesn’t subtract too much from his unit. The offense isn’t a juggernaut and it won’t need to be to beat the Orange on Tuesday.

Tomer Langer (12-4)
Packing it in
Virginia 63, Syracuse 41

Syracuse just failed to reach the 50-point plateau at home against a depleted Notre Dame team. Now, it goes up against the top-ranked defense in the country. Virginia’s pack-line defense just held North Carolina to 49 points. All signs point to it being a long night for the Orange.

Published on January 9, 2018 at 1:13 pm