Syracuse Basketball: Ranking the top-10 games for the Orange in 2021-22

Virginia

Over the last eight years or so, one could make a case that Virginia has been the best team in the ACC, under the leadership of head coach Tony Bennett.

I’m not talking about NCAA Tournament success, per se, but in regular seasons, the Cavaliers have finished No. 1 or No. 2 in the league numerous times.

In recent terms, Duke won the Big Dance in 2015, North Carolina won in 2017 and Virginia won in 2019. So the ACC has done pretty darn good in March Madness of late.

Sure, UVA became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the round of 64, when UMBC smoked the Cavaliers in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

And of course, we can’t forget that our beloved Orange made a ridiculous comeback in the 2016 Elite Eight versus top-seeded Virginia, fueling the ‘Cuse to a surprising Final Four berth.

However, Bennett’s coaching in Charlottesville, Va., has been extraordinary. He doesn’t often get the five-star recruits that the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels do, and his teams are regularly among the best defensively across the country.

In 2021-22, Virginia will visit the Hill on Saturday, Jan. 1, for an exhilarating New Year’s Day contest. Syracuse basketball will look to exact revenge on the Cavaliers, a group that went 2-0 against the Orange in 2020-21.

One of those results was an 81-58 destruction that UVA put on the ‘Cuse in Charlottesville. The second outcome was in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, as the No. 1 seed Virginia hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to escape the No. 8 seed Orange.

The Cavaliers went 18-7 last season, including 13-4 in ACC play. As a No. 4 seed in March Madness, UVA was upset in the round of 64 by No. 13 seed Ohio, 62-58.

The early talk ahead of 2021-22 is that the Cavaliers are projected as a top-four ACC squad and a fringe top-25 team on a national scale.

All-time, Syracuse basketball is 6-10 against UVA. Let’s make that 7-10 as we turn the calendar year to 2022.