Opponent preview: What to know about 14-6 Virginia
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After keeping up with then-No. 7 Notre Dame on Jan. 15 for the first three quarters and falling apart in the fourth, Syracuse embarked on a two-game road trip to get back in the win column.
The trip started in Atlanta when Syracuse played Georgia Tech. On paper, the Orange should’ve walked away from McCamish Pavilion with a win, but the Yellow Jackets beat SU 69-57, finishing with four double-digit scorers. Then, last Sunday, Syracuse faced then-No. 13 Duke with the opportunity for its first win against a ranked opponent this season.
The Blue Devils jumped out to a double-digit lead in the third quarter, but Syracuse came back, getting the deficit to as low as two. However, Duke pulled away in the game’s final minutes to hand SU its third-straight defeat and its fifth conference loss. On Thursday, the Orange will return to the JMA Wireless Dome to face Virginia, which enters off a 22-point loss to Notre Dame.
Here’s everything to know about Virginia (14-6, 3-6 ACC):
All time series
Syracuse leads 9-4.
Last time they played
Syracuse traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia, and picked up a 77-70 win against the Cavaliers last season. Though UVA’s Mir McLean and Amandine Toi combined scored 38 points, Najé Murray totaled 24 points, as one of four double-digit scorers for the Orange. Alaysia Styles and Alaina Rice both added eight points apiece.
The Orange started strong, leading 22-12 at the end of the first quarter, behind 50% shooting from the field. The two teams were equally balanced throughout the second and third quarters, and although UVA outscored Syracuse by five in the fourth, it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.
With the defeat, Virginia fell to 3-18 overall and 0-11 in conference play. As a result, at the end of the season, the Cavaliers fired then-head coach Tina Thompson, who amassed a 15-38 conference record in four seasons at UVA.
The Cavaliers report
In their first season under head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, the Cavaliers have experienced a turnaround season from last year. UVA has picked up 14 wins, including three conference wins over Boston College, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech. UVA started the season on a 12-game win streak, but has since lost six of its last eight games.
UVA ranks in the top third in points per game, opponent points per game and field-goal percentage, per Her Hoop Stats. Defensively, the Cavaliers rank 25th out of all Division-I teams in opponent field-goal percentage, holding opponents to just 35.8% from the field. The Cavaliers have three players averaging double figures, led by Camryn Taylor who totals just over 13 points per game.
How Syracuse beats Virginia
Syracuse has kept up with some of the top teams in the country and the conference, but it simply needs to close out games better. Though it did have a bad loss to Georgia Tech, which picked up its first conference win by defeating the Orange, SU needs to go back to what it’s good at — fast-paced offense and second-chance points.
Statistically, UVA is better on the glass than Syracuse, which already ranks 21st in the country with 42.5 total rebounds per game, per Her Hoop Stats. UVA is ninth in D-I, securing 44.7 boards per game. This game will come down to who can control the glass. If Syracuse can do that behind Dariauna Lewis, Kyra Wood and Asia Strong, it will put itself in a position to get back in the win column.
Stat to know: 35.8%
From the field, Syracuse shoots 42%. But the Cavaliers limit their opponents to just under 36%. Virginia is also 25th in the country with a 12% block rate, which signifies the number of 2-point field-goal attempts that ultimately get blocked. Syracuse isn’t the tallest team, but it needs to create enough separation to get jumpers and inside buckets against a strong defense.
Stephanie Zaso | Digital Design Director
Player to watch: Camryn Taylor, forward, No. 20
After transferring from Marquette two seasons ago, Taylor has been the team’s best scorer for the past two seasons, and she stayed with the team during the coaching transition from Thompson to Agugua-Hamilton. She notched 12.8 points per game last season and currently averages 13. Defensively, she is the team’s leading blocker with 18 total blocks.
