How to Watch Syracuse at #8 Virginia
Matchup: Syracuse (9-4, 3-3) at #8 Virginia (10-2, 6-0)
Location: John Paul Jones Arena - Charlottesville, VA
Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern - Monday, January 25th
Television: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN (requires cable login), Hulu Live, Sling, YouTubeTV
Radio: TK99, WAER, Cuse.com, TuneIn App
Live Stats: LINK
ESPN Matchup Predictor: ESPN's Matchup Predictor has Syracuse as an underdog in this one. They give the Orange just a 26.8% chance to win.
Odds: Virginia is favored by 7.0 points. The over/under is 131 points.
Series History: Virginia leads the all-time series 8-6. The teams first met in 1984, when Virginia beat Syracuse 63-55. They did not play again until 1990, when the Orange topped the Cavs 63-61 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament behind 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists from Derrick Coleman. It would be 17 years after that before they played, with Syracuse pulling out a two point road win. The following year, the Orange were again victorious with a three point win in the Dome. Since Syracuse joined the ACC, Virginia has largely dominated the series. They hold a 7-3 edge during that time, but Syracuse picked up a win in perhaps the most memorable meeting. That would be an Elite Eight matchup in 2016, when Syracuse erased a double digit deficit to stun the one seeded Cavs and advance to the Final Four. Virginia had won four straight in the series before last year's 63-55 Syracuse victory in John Paul Jones Arena.
What to Know About Virginia: The Cavs have only two losses on the season, neither of which was in ACC play. They suffered an early season shocker as they fell by one point to San Francisco in November. The day after Christmas, Virginia was blown out by Gonzaga, who has spent all season ranked number one in the nation. They are led by 6-8 forward Sam Hauser, who is scoring 14.5 points and grabbing 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting 41% from beyond the arc. Center Jay Huff, a 7-1, 240 pounder, averages more than 13 points and about six rebounds per game along with 2.5 blocks. The Cavs are fifth in the league in rebounding margin, first in defensive rebounding percentage, but 14th in offensive rebounding percentage. Virginia is a great outside shooting team at 38.9% from three point range. They only turn the ball over eight times per game. Trey Murphy, a 6-9 wing, is shooting over 50% from three on the season.
