Syracuse Basketball vs. Virginia Tech: 4 Keys to the Game

What does Syracuse basketball need to do to come away with a victory when they play the Virginia Tech Hokies tonight at 8 pm in the Carrier Dome?

The answer is more than you think. It starts and ends with not being complacent. Virginia Tech might not have a great record, but they are well-coached, well-disciplined, and primed for a big upset. Syracuse basketball can’t afford to underestimate them, as this is pretty much a must-win game if they are trying to get back to the NCAA tournament.

In my article earlier today, I broke down some of the key players for Virginia Tech and talked about how each of them contributes. To summarize, Virginia Tech has four main go-to scorers all averaging over 10 points a game. They aren’t an outstanding rebounding team overall, averaging just 36.2 per game overall (Syracuse averages 36.8). They aren’t a great shooting team at 45%, but still significantly more accurate than Syracuse (41.9%). Nor are they an outstanding 3-point shooting team, hitting just 35.3% of their attempts. They aren’t even a great defensive team, giving up 73.8 points per game (232nd in the country).

What they are is a solid group that plays hard and keeps themselves in games until the very end. They play as a unit and are incredibly unselfish and disciplined. They put out 100% effort in every game and really want to win for coach Buzz Williams. That makes them dangerous on any given night.

So let’s break down the four keys to the game to determine exactly what Syracuse basketball needs to do to get the victory.