Syracuse basketball wraps up a challenging week on the road this Saturday afternoon against No. 18 Virginia.
This past Monday night, the Orange mounted a furious comeback attempt at No. 14 North Carolina in the second half, but the 'Cuse ultimately lost by 10 points, 87-77. Now Syracuse basketball will have to face its second-straight top-20 foe away from Central New York.
The Cavaliers (19-3 overall, 8-2 in the ACC) were picked to finish at No. 5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, per the league's preseason media poll. UVA, though, is a significant contender for a top-four finish in the conference race.
First-year head coach Ryan Odom is doing a wonderful job in his first term at the helm of the Cavaliers. Ironically, back in 2018, he was the head coach of UMBC when the Retrievers stunned No. 1 seed Virginia in the NCAA Tournament, the first No. 16 seed to ever do so.
How to watch Syracuse basketball at No. 18 Virginia on Saturday.
The Orange (13-10 overall, 4-6 in ACC) and the Cavaliers are scheduled to tip off at 12:00 pm EST on Saturday, Feb. 7, at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va., with television coverage on ESPN. In their all-time series together, per SU Athletics, the 'Cuse is just 7-14 against UVA, and Syracuse basketball is 2-6 in road games at Virginia.
To date, the Cavaliers' three losses in the 2025-26 season are in three overtimes to Virginia Tech as well as to Butler and North Carolina. Virginia has beaten teams such as Northwestern, Texas, Dayton, N.C. State, California, Stanford, Louisville and SMU, among others.
At the time of this writing, the Cavaliers had an NCAA NET ranking of No. 17, making this a quadrant-one opportunity for the Orange. UVA is 11-1 at home this season and 8-3 in quadrant-one/quadrant-two games.
Syracuse basketball, meanwhile, is 2-3 in true road affairs and No. 71 in the NET. Virginia is No. 16 overall at KenPom and within the top 25 of both adjusted offensive efficiency and adjusted defensive efficiency. Syracuse basketball is No. 69 overall at KenPom.
The Cavaliers score 83.3 points per game and give up 68.3 points. They average 41.6 rebounds, 17.1 assists, 6.6 steals, 5.9 blocks and 10.6 turnovers per contest while making 47.0 percent from the field, 70.3 percent from the free-throw line and 35.9 percent from beyond the arc.
On the flip side, the Orange scores 75.8 points per game and allows 70.7 points. The 'Cuse averages 35.0 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 6.8 steals, 6.1 blocks and 11.3 turnovers per encounter while connecting on 47.0 percent from the field, 63.3 percent from the charity stripe and 33.7 percent from downtown.