Syracuse basketball, after picking up a much-needed win earlier this week, hits the road for its next two Atlantic Coast Conference affairs before wrapping up the 2024-25 regular season on March 8 versus Virginia at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Beginning this Saturday, the Orange will head to Virginia Tech and then SMU before hosting the Cavaliers.
This past Wednesday night on the Hill, the 'Cuse snapped a three-game losing streak in knocking off N.C. State, 74-60. Syracuse basketball, in besting the Wolfpack, had a balanced scoring attack and was fairly solid on the defensive end.
The Orange's triumph over N.C. State was huge as it pertains to the 'Cuse qualifying for the upcoming ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., where only the top 15 schools out of the league's 18 members will receive invites to this annual event.
How to watch Syracuse basketball at Virginia Tech.
The Orange (12-16, 6-11 in the ACC) and the Hokies (12-16, 7-10 in the ACC) will square off beginning at 12 pm on Saturday, March 1, at the Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. The CW Network will air this conference collision, with live-streaming coverage also available on FuboTV.
Currently, the 'Cuse is only one game behind Virginia Tech in the league standings, and the programs only play each other once during the 2024-25 regular season. So if the Orange can muster a road victory over the Hokies, that would prove big for Syracuse basketball regarding the ACC Tournament and its possible inclusion.
When I penned this column, the 'Cuse had an NCAA NET ranking of No. 138 overall, as compared to No. 156 for Virginia Tech, making this a quadrant-three game for the Orange.
Here is the Hokies' 2024-25 resume thus far. They have beaten Delaware State, South Carolina Upstate, Winthrop, North Carolina A&T, Navy, Miami, California, N.C. State, Florida State, Virginia, Notre Dame and Miami again.
Conversely, Virginia Tech has fallen to Penn State, Jacksonville, Michigan, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Saint Joseph's, Duke, Stanford, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Clemson, SMU, Virginia, Boston College and Louisville.
In their all-time series together, per SU Athletics, Syracuse basketball is 13-7 against Virginia Tech, including an 84-71 home win for the 'Cuse a stanza ago.
The ESPNU broadcast crew just said that Autry told the announcers he's "hopeful" to have freshman guard Elijah Moore back in the line-up on Saturday when Syracuse basketball travels to Virginia Tech.
— InsideTheLoudHouse (@LoudHouseFS) February 27, 2025
We'll have to see if freshman shooting guard Elijah Moore is available for the Orange at the Hokies on Saturday afternoon. He's missed the past two games with a right leg injury.
At this juncture in 2024-25, Syracuse basketball is scoring 74.7 points per contest and allowing 78.0 points, along with 37.8 rebounds, 13.4 assists, 2.5 blocks, 4.9 steals and 12.4 turnovers. Virginia Tech scores 69.0 points per meeting and gives up 71.7 points, along with 33.8 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 1.8 blocks, 5.3 steals and 13.1 turnovers.
Shooting-wise, the 'Cuse makes 45.3 percent from the field, 70.1 percent from the charity stripe and 32.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Hokies connect on 43.9 percent from the field, 71.8 percent from the free-throw line and 35.9 percent from 3-point land, which when I wrote this story was No. 6 in the ACC.