The Virginia Cavaliers will be home to face the Syracuse Orange on Saturday afternoon for this ACC showdown. Virginia, ranked #11 in the country, are down to 10-3 after being upset by Pitt this week on the road. They’ve now lost two of their three games to ACC schools, but they’ll want to avoid another loss to a conference opponent today. Syracuse is 10-5, and they come in off a victory over Lousiville on the road. Virginia have won each of the past three head-to-head meetings, and they’ll try to stay hot at home, where they’ve won six of seven this year.
Syracuse Orange vs. Virginia Cavaliers Betting Odds
Odds Courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook
Syracuse Orange vs. Virginia Cavaliers Match Details
Fixture: Syracuse Orange @ Virginia Cavaliers
Date & Time: Saturday, January 7, 5:00 p.m. EDT
Venue: John Paul Jones Arena
Syracuse Orange vs. Virginia Cavaliers Key Stats
Syracuse is solid on offense, scoring 107.7 points per 100 possessions. Syracuse has a trio of reliable scorers in Joseph Girard III (16.7 PPG), Judah Mintz (15.8 PPG), and Jesse Edwards (13.9 PPG). Edwards leads the team in rebounding at 10.9 per game, and his 3.1 blocks are tied for the third-most in the country. The Orange have a solid 1.3 assist-TO ratio, and their only real weakness is that Edwards doesn’t get much help on the glass.
Virginia scores 110.6 points per 100 possessions, and their assist-to-turnover ratio is a very impressive 1.6. Their point guard, Kihei Clark, leads the team in scoring (11.9 PPG) and dishing (5.9 APG), and he’s joined by fellow seniors Jayden Gardner (11.4 PPG) and Armaan Franklin (11.0 PPG). The whole starting lineup can put the ball in the basket, and they like to play at a very slow, methodical pace. The Cavaliers have struggled lately, though, losing three of their previous five, and a big reason for this slump has been their inability to force turnovers.
Syracuse Orange vs. Virginia Cavaliers Betting Prediction
As good as Virginia is, Syracuse isn’t too far behind. The Cavaliers are 8-1 at home (6-1 vs. D1 schools), but they’ve covered just one time while home this season. Back the Orange here to at least cover since Virginia hasn’t been playing well, and since the road team is 7-1 ATS in the last eight head-to-head matchups between these two.