Syracuse (19-10, 10-6 Atlantic Coast) received a short respite from top-5 opponents in a win at Wake Forest on Saturday. Enter No. 2 Virginia (26-2, 14-2), which has won six games in a row. The Orange lost twice to the Cavaliers last season.

Here’s what our beat writers expect to happen.

Billy Heyen (22-7)
‘Hoos on first
Virginia 67, Syracuse 56

The current No. 2 team in the country will spoil Syracuse’s Senior Night. The Orange simply haven’t had an answer for good man-to-man defense because not enough SU players can beat guys off the bounce. UVA might have the best combo of defensive scheme and individual defensive ability in the country. It’ll be a long Monday night for the Syracuse offense.

Charlie DiSturco (20-9)
‘Hoos House?
Virginia 68, Syracuse 54

To me, there is no team more complete than Virginia. The Cavaliers are deep, have a multitude of dynamic scorers, shoot the ball well and boast a dominant defense. Syracuse has been playing top-5 opponents well in recent weeks — think Duke and North Carolina — but this UVA team should have no problem tearing up the 2-3 zone. Virginia shoots 40 percent from 3, fourth in the country, and rarely turns the ball over. Not to mention the Cavaliers’ defense ranks second in adjusted efficiency and first in defending the 3 ball. Expect the Orange to struggle in their last home game of the year.

Matthew Gutierrez (17-12)
Cavalier
Virginia 60, Syracuse 53

The team to hit 60 points wins this game. Last season, at the Carrier Dome, SU fell 59-44, in a slow game that the Cavaliers dictated by playing excellent defense and rebounding. UVA does all of that stuff right. SU is capable of winning here, especially in the final home game of the season, which should warrant a strong crowd. But UVA has 10 ranked wins this season and has lost only to Duke, twice. The better team picks up the victory at the Dome.

Published on March 3, 2019 at 11:03 pm