Syracuse basketball has lost three of its past four games after getting smoked by Virginia Tech on the road over the weekend, and now the Orange is getting ready to welcome top-10 Virginia to the Hill on Monday night.
The ‘Cuse zone defense wasn’t good this past Saturday evening down in Blacksburg, Va., as the Hokies torched the Orange in the first half from deep and cruised to an 85-70 home win over Syracuse basketball.
I really felt that the ‘Cuse (13-9, 6-5 in the ACC) put forth a lackluster performance versus Virginia Tech. The Hokies dominated the Orange on the glass and had so many wide-open looks on the perimeter.
Syracuse basketball, though, doesn’t have a lot of time to think about its setback to Virginia Tech, because the ‘Cuse has a quick turnaround in hosting the Cavaliers (16-3, 8-2), a group that has captured six conquests in a row.
Most recently, UVA defeated Boston College by 19 points in Charlottesville, Va., last Saturday night. Virginia is No. 6 in this week’s Associated Press top-25 poll.
At this juncture in the 2022-23 season, the Cavaliers are in second place within the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, behind Clemson. UVA is also in a strong position to secure an excellent seed in this spring’s NCAA Tournament.
Syracuse basketball vs. No. 6 Virginia odds
When I published this column, actionnetwork.com had installed the Orange as a 4.5-point betting underdog at home against UVA, with the over/under set at 132.5 points.
Syracuse basketball vs. No. 6 Virginia prediction
In their all-time series together, the Orange is just 6-12 overall against the Cavaliers. In their most recent affair, Syracuse basketball committed way too many turnovers and got off to a really slow start against UVA on the road.
The ‘Cuse would claw its way back and make things somewhat interesting, but Virginia held on for a 73-66 victory on January 7 of this year.
Much like recent games at Virginia Tech, versus North Carolina and at Miami, the Orange’s encounter with UVA in Central New York is an opportunity for the ‘Cuse to potentially notch a critical quadrant-one win (the four-point loss by Syracuse basketball to North Carolina not too long ago is just barely in quadrant two for the time being).
When I wrote this column on Sunday, the Cavaliers had an NCAA NET ranking of No. 15, as compared to No. 100 for the ‘Cuse.
Virginia, as is often the case under stellar head coach Tony Bennett, shines on the defensive end. The Cavaliers, though, are also efficient on offense and shoot well from beyond the arc. They don’t commit a lot of turnovers, and they usually pass with crispness and precision.
UVA is a bad match-up for the Orange. The ‘Cuse has to defend the perimeter well and hit the boards hard to have any shot here. Even though Syracuse basketball is playing on its own turf, reluctantly, I’ll forecast Virginia to defeat the Orange on the Hill.
Injuries, how to watch, live stream, next game
On the injury front, freshman big man Peter Carey is out for the rest of the 2022-23 term, Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim has said. The 6-foot-11 Carey, a power forward/center, recently had a surgical procedure done on his right knee and is expected to take a medical redshirt this year, Boeheim has said.
We’ll certainly continue to monitor the injury front for the ‘Cuse in the present stanza.
The Orange and the Cavaliers will tip off beginning at 7 pm on Monday, Jan. 30, from the JMA Wireless Dome. ESPN will televise this league affair.
For Syracuse basketball and Virginia fans who want to stream this game, you can check it out on fuboTV.
After the ‘Cuse faces UVA, the Orange will travel to Boston College on Saturday, Feb. 4, beginning at 5 pm inside the Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The ACC Network will provide television coverage.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.