Virginia Basketball vs. Syracuse Game Preview, Score Prediction

Virginia will conclude the 2024-2024 men’s basketball regular season when the Cavaliers visit Syracuse on Saturday night at JMA Wireless Dome, looking to lock up the No. 9 seed and the final first round bye in next week’s ACC Tournament.

Read on for a full preview of Virginia at Syracuse, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a score prediction for Saturday's matchup.

Virginia vs. Syracuse Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (15-15, 8-11 ACC) at Syracuse Orange (12-18, 6-13 ACC)

When: Saturday, March 8th at 8pm ET

Where: JMA Wireless Dome (35,642) in Syracuse, New York

How to watch: ACC Network

Commentators: Jay Alter (Play-by-Play), Michael Carter-Williams (Analyst)

How to listen: SiriusXM 386, SXM App 976 | Virginia Sports Radio Network | Cuse TV

All-time series: Virginia leads 14-6

Last meeting: Virginia defeated Syracuse 84-62 on December 2nd, 2023 in Charlottesville.

Virginia vs. Syracuse Game Notes

Virginia leads Syracuse 14-6 in the all-time series that dates back to March of 1984.
The Cavaliers have won each of the last six games against the Orange, most recently taking down Syracuse 84-62 in last season's ACC opener.
Syracuse hasn't defeated Virginia since earning a 63-55 overtime win over UVA on January 11th, 2020 in Charlottesville.
UVA is 12-2 against Syracuse in ACC play since the Orange joined the conference in 2013.
Virginia has won the last five road games at Syracuse and is 6-2 on the road at Syracuse all-time.
Virginia is currently tied for ninth place in the ACC standings at 8-11, while Syracuse is tied for 14th with a 6-13 record in ACC play.

Scouting Report: Syracuse

2023-2024: 20-12, 11-9 ACC (5th)
2024-2025: 12-18, 6-13 ACC (14th)

First-time head coach Adrian Autry took over the reins from Jim Boeheim at Syracuse in 2023 and delivered a respectable first season, going 20-12 and finishing tied for fifth in the ACC standings. Last offseason saw Syracuse's leading scorer Judah Mintz go pro and four other key players enter the transfer portal. The Orange brought back JJ Starling and Chris Bell and brought in several transfers, but expectations were tempered by the offseason departures, with Syracuse getting picked to finish 11th in the ACC preseason poll. Well, here we are at the end of the regular season and the Orange are currently tied for 14th place in the ACC standings.

Year 2 of the Adrian Autry era started with some tough losses in non-conference play to Texas, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Georgetown, and Maryland, and that has continued into ACC play. Syracuse has had a couple of decent wins in league play, knocking off Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, and Cal, but otherwise it's been rough sledding for the Orange, who have lost seven of their last ten games coming in and five of the last six.

Syracuse has dealt with its fair share of injuries. Leading scorer JJ Starling missed the entire month of December with a broken left hand. Freshman forward Donnie Freeman started 12 of the first 13 games of the season and was Syracuse's second-leading scorer at 13.4 points per game, but then suffered a season-ending right foot injury in early January. Fellow freshman guard Elijah Moore, who has started 16 games this season, has been out with a foot injury since February 15th. As a result, Syracuse has had some significant variance in its starting lineups and rotations, with eight players logging double-digit starts and 10 players averaging double-digit minutes played per game.

Despite missing seven games, it's still been a career-year for 6'4" junior guard JJ Starling, who has increased his scoring average from 13.3 to 18.0 points per game and is averaging career-highs in rebounds (3.8) and assists (2.8) as well. Starling has scored in double figures 20 times this season, but his efficiency hasn't been great, shooting 40.5% from the floor and 26.5% from three.

6'0" guard and Hofstra transfer Jaquan Carlos, one of eight players set to be honored by Syracuse on Senior Night, is averaging 6.4 points per game and leads the team in assists (4.0 apg) and steals (1.1 spg). 6'5" senior guard Lucas Taylor, a transfer from Georgia State, is averaging 6.0 points per game and shoots 38.7% from three-point range.

Manning the front court are two more transfers in Eddie Lampkin Jr. and Jyare Davis. A 6'11" graduate center who transferred from Colorado, Lampkin has started 29 of 30 games, averages 11.1 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 9.6 boards per game. Lampkin is averaging a double-double in ACC play and is a good passer for a big, averaging 2.2 assists per game. Davis, a 6'7" senior forward who transferred from Delaware, averages 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and shoots 37.9% from three, but only attempts one three-pointer each contest.

6'7" junior forward Chris Bell has been coming off the bench the back end of the season, but he is averaging 9.9 points per game and is Syracuse's best volume perimeter shooter, knocking down 37.1% of his threes more than four attempts per game. The aforementioned Elijah Moore, who averages 5.2 points per game, warmed up before Syracuse's last game, so it's possible he could be available for this game.

What to Watch For in Virginia vs. Syracuse

Rebounding
One of Syracuse's best strengths is rebounding. The Orange rank fourth in the conference in overall rebounding and rebounding margin and sixth in offensive rebounding. Virginia is second to last in the ACC in rebounding margin (-2.8). One of Syracuse's primary paths to a win on Saturday night will be to dominate the rebounding battle.

Three-Point Shooting
Conversely, three-point shooting should favor Virginia, who ranks fourth in the ACC in team three-point shooting percentage at 38.0%, while Syracuse is 13th at 33.2% from three and 16th in total three-pointers made. The Orange are also 13th in the ACC in three-point defense. Virginia is 8-2 when making at least 10 three-pointers this season. The Wahoos should let them fly in the Dome.

ACC Tournament scenarios
Virginia can clinch the No. 9 seed and the final double-bye in the ACC Tournament with a win at Syracuse and a loss by Virginia Tech at Clemson. The Cavaliers could also end up with the No. 9 seed with a loss and a combination of other results involving Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Florida State, but it'd be a lot simpler to go the route described above. Syracuse is currently the No. 14 seed in the field, but could move up to as high as the No. 11 seed with the right combination of results on Saturday.

Virginia vs. Syracuse Prediction

The Cavaliers have been fairly consistent over the last several weeks in beating the teams they are supposed to beat. This is one of those games if Virginia brings its A-Game. UVA ends the regular season on a high note.

Score prediction: Virginia 67, Syracuse 62

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