Syracuse basketball continued its road success in the ACC by squeaking by Virginia Tech, and the Orange has seemingly found new life.
Syracuse basketball is known predominantly as a 3-point shooting squad, but the Orange ignored that reputation on Saturday afternoon against Virginia Tech.
The ‘Cuse, possessing a significant height advantage versus the Hokies, pounded the ball inside and did just enough in the contest’s waning minutes to steal a 71-69 victory at the Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Much like their battle 11 days earlier in Central New York, Syracuse (11-7, 4-3) raced to a large lead over Virginia Tech (13-5, 4-3), only to see it evaporate in the second half. However, whereas the Orange wilted at the Carrier Dome and lost by four points to the Hokies on January 7, the ‘Cuse withstood Virginia Tech’s furious rally this go-round.
In doing so, I believe that Syracuse showed a ton of grit, guts and heart in notching yet another road triumph in Atlantic Coast Conference competition. At this juncture in the 2019-20 campaign, the Orange is an impressive 3-0 away from the Hill in league play, compared with a sub-par 1-3 mark at home in conference clashes. Weird, I know.
Conquering the Hokies on their own turf gives the ‘Cuse an additional quadrant-one achievement, and Syracuse has also captured three-consecutive affairs.
The Orange will go for four in a row when it travels to South Bend, Indiana, for a rematch with Notre Dame this coming Wednesday night. The Fighting Irish tallied a one-point win at the ‘Cuse on January 4.
In its tilt with Virginia Tech, Syracuse didn’t shoot well from deep, only connecting on 25 percent of 24 attempts. Usually, that spells doom for the Orange. But the ‘Cuse performed admirably closer to the rim, going 23-of-36 on field goals before the 3-point line.
Syracuse prevailed in the rebounding department, albeit barely, and the Orange took care of the ball with precision, committing a mere four turnovers, which is tremendous.
Furthermore, the ‘Cuse received critical contributions from two key reserves, as junior point guard Howard Washington saw 16 minutes of run and proved a steady hand, while freshman forward Quincy Guerrier collected nine boards.
Syracuse still has a bunch of work to do before re-entering the conversation for a possible invite to the 2020 NCAA Tournament, but clearly the Orange is on a roll, and ‘Cuse fanatics should feel proud of how Syracuse is currently faring.