Beat writers predict No. 11 Virginia will bounce back against Syracuse
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Syracuse has won seven of its last eight games, though its recent two victories have been too close for comfort against two bottom-feeders in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Orange only overcame a halftime deficit against Louisville in their most recent game due to a “determined” effort from Joe Girard III.
SU will stay on the road for its next matchup against No. 11 Virginia. The Cavaliers have won their last three matchups against the Orange. A win for UVA would make Tony Bennett the program’s all-time winningest head coach.
Here’s what our beat writers expect to happen on Sunday:
Anish Vasudevan (12-3)
Take of 2 defenses
Virginia 72, Syracuse 63
Both Jim Boeheim and Bennett pride themselves on their defensive concepts, using the 2-3 zone and pack-line defenses to try and take away their opponent’s strengths. But against UVA, the 2-3 zone, which has struggled to stop open deep shots despite having both wings move up in the set, might be an issue for SU. Virginia has the third-best 3-point offense in the ACC, so expect Syracuse to give up a few shots from beyond the arc early.
Most likely, the Orange will again trail at halftime. Syracuse has only overcome a halftime deficit once this season during its most recent matchup against Louisville. But the Cardinals are nothing like the Cavaliers. SU will be fighting from behind and unable to come back unless Jesse Edwards can break through the pack-line defense or if someone like Justin Taylor, who grew up in Charlottesville, has another breakout game.
Connor Smith (13-2)
Pack-line problems
Virginia 68, Syracuse 50
Syracuse has definitely had a hard time figuring out Bennett’s team since joining the ACC in 2013, only beating the Cavaliers three times in 13 matchups. UVA’s defense usually forces a lot of 3-pointers and this SU team isn’t good at making those (148th nationally, per KenPom). Expect this to be another typical Virginia-Syracuse matchup: lots of missed shots, long possessions and few points. And despite UVA losing three of its past five games, it should, behind its top-20 “pack-line” defense, take care of this one without much of a problem.
The Orange have won seven of their last eight, but that nailbiter over Louisville on Tuesday didn’t give a lot of hope that they can take down a top-15 team on the road. Girard did everything he could to get SU the win, but Edwards hasn’t played like himself over the past few games and inconsistency at the forward position isn’t doing Syracuse any favors. Girard will face tight defense all game, and while he might get a few open looks, SU doesn’t have the consistent shooters to compliment him right now, which will lead it to suffering loss No. 6 on the season.
Anthony Alandt (11-4)
Can’t win if you don’t rebound
Virginia 71, Syracuse 60
Boeheim has repeatedly said he has been stumped by his forwards’ lack of rebounding capabilities up until this point in the season. Singling out Benny Williams and Chris Bell, Boeheim has said he’s never seen anyone perform so poorly on the boards in his 47 years as the head coach of Syracuse. But the Orange have gotten away with poor play inside the paint — even when Edwards is playing bad as well. So, they’re 10-5 with three ACC wins.
That luck was going to run out eventually, and facing Virginia, a team that can rebound much better than Syracuse and that has only lost three games, all coming against tough opponents by close margins. The Orange are going to try, on the road, to take down a team that has had their number since 2013, but doesn’t have the talent nor the capability to be able to this time.
