Syracuse vs Virginia Preview

Syracuse hosts Virginia on Saturday in the Orange's home ACC opener. The game tips at 6:00 p.m. Eastern and will be broadcast on the ACC Network. What is the Orange facing in the Cavs? Here are five things to know about Virginia heading into the matchup.

1. Three Point Shooting

When Virginia has been at its best over the years, it has been a strong defensive team that shoots the three really well. This year's version does not shoot nearly as well as it has in the past. Virginia is shooting just 31.7% from three point range as a team. Armaan Franklin, the Indiana transfer, leads the team in three point attempts with 64, but has only made 20.3% of his shots. Franklin was a 42% three point shooter last season, so he is capable of getting hot. The player Syracuse must keep an eye on from beyond the arc is point guard Kihei Clark. He is shooting 40.9% from the outside, the only player in the regular rotation that is over 40%.

2. Offensive Efficiency

KenPom ranks Virginia 104th (Syracuse is 19th for comparison) in offensive efficiency and 358th in tempo. UVA is averaging just over 61 points per game while shooting 44.6% from the floor. Despite the slow tempo, Virginia still turns it over 10.5 times per game. Virginia does pass the ball well, however, with two of the top five players in assists per game in the ACC (Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman).

3. Defense & Rebounding

Virginia is ranked number one in the ACC in scoring defense, though that is in part due to its slow tempo. Still, the Cavs are second in the ACC in field goal percentage defense. That could cause Syracuse some problems as Virginia is aggressive and will pressure opposing teams. KenPom ranks Virginia 55th in defensive efficiency. The Cavs force 11.7 turnovers per game, has the ACC's fourth leading rebounder (Jayden Gardner, 8.1 per game), the leading shot blocker (Kadin Shedrick, 2.9 per game) and second leading player in steals (Reece Beekman, 2.2 per game). Perhaps not a vintage Virginia defensive team, but still formidable. This UVA team, however, has been outrebounded by its opponents on the season. Virginia is 13th in the ACC in rebounding margin (Syracuse is 14th).

4. Best Player

Virginia's best player this season has been Jayden Gardner. He is the team's leading scorer at 14.8 points per game, leading rebounding at 8.1 per game and is shooting 58% from the floor. The 6-6, 246 pound forward is physical, strong and efficient around the rim.

5. Season To Date

Virginia has been up and down to say the least. The Cavs opened the season with losses in two of its first three games (Navy, Houston). That was followed by a four game winning streak (Coppin State, Georgia, Providence, Lehigh) before losing to Iowa and James Madison in two of the next three games. In Virginia's last two games, the Cavs beat Fairleigh Dickinson and lost at home to Clemson.

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