No. 9 Virginia at Syracuse, ESPN2 Noon
Virginia coasted past rival Virginia Tech at John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday, 71-48. The Cavaliers got a balanced scoring effort with a career-high 17 points from Devon Hall, career-high 15 points from Isaiah Wikins, and 14 from London Perrantes. Marial Shayok had nine points, and Ty Jerome seven. Hall and Wilkins were both one rebound away from a double-double with nine as UVa crushed Tech on the boards, 37-22. Perrantes had two 3s, and Hall, Jerome, and Kyle Guy had one each. The free throws were even and for the most part, I thought the game was fairly called. Of course, it is much easier to say that when Virginia is blowing out its foe, and it doesn't matter what the referees call. The Cavaliers made 16 of 21 from the line while the Hokies were 15 of 20.
Leaving out the Villanova game -- again, when Virginia shot just three free throws and scored 59 points -- the Wahoos have really amped up their offense lately, averaging 71.6 points in their past seven other games in regulation (counting 70 points for the Pitt loss, which was what Virginia had before OT). In five games against strong competition before that stretch -- contests with Florida State, Louisville, Cal, West Virginia, and Ohio State -- Virginia averaged 59 points. That is a big jump and is very encouraging to see. Shayok has taken on a huge part of the scoring, but Hall and Wilkins are really starting to shine, too. Wilkins has been doing his best Mike Scott imitation with midrange jumpers as of late.
And that's before saying anything about Jerome's emergence. The freshman has averaged 10 points the past three games, and before that, his high in a single game was just six -- and that came against UVa's worst opponent, Grambling State -- and he did not score in seven games. Of course, his breakout came on the biggest stage against Villanova when he scored 15 points, including making 3 of his 6 3-pointers and tying the game for Virginia at 59 in the closing seconds in a cold-blooded sequence you just don't see that often from a true freshman. His ball handling, surprising 3-point shooting, and confidence bode well when Virginia fans have to bid adieu to Perrantes, sadly, at the end of this season.
Today, UVa goes to the Carrier Dome to take on Syracuse, and perhaps fans and players alike will be able to confront and maybe extinguish some of the bad memories of losing to the Orange in the Elite Eight last March. Perrantes was asked about that loss after the Virginia Tech game, and he seemed to indicate it still hurt, but that he's trying to move on. I think playing Syracuse again will help, and he seems like the type of player that could use what happened last season as fuel. So let's hope he responds the right way.
Here's more on Syracuse:
Record: 14-9, 6-4 ACC
Leading scorers: Senior guard Andrew White III (17.2), sophomore forward Tyler Lydon (14.3), senior guard John Gillon (10.4), freshman guard Tyus Battle (10)
Leading rebounders: Lydon (7.9), senior forward Tyler Roberson (5.3), senior center DaJuan Coleman (5.1), White (4.6), sophomore center Paschal Chukwu (4.1)
Assist leaders: Gillon (5.3), sophomore guard Frank Howard (4.5)
Notable: Taurean Thompson (8.6), Roberson (6.1), and Coleman (6) are the Orange's other main scorers. Howard averages 4.9 points. Nine players (the ones I've mentioned) all average at least 15 minutes. White, Gillon, Howard, and Battle all average a little more than one steal. Chukwu averages two blocks, and
Lydon, Thompson, and Roberson all average one.
Best win: vs. No. 6 Florida State last Saturday, 82-72
Worst win: vs. North Florida, 77-71. The Ospreys are 9-16.
Other wins: Colgate, Holy Cross, Monmouth, South Carolina State, Boston University, Eastern Michigan, Cornell, Miami, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Wake Forest, N.C. State
Best loss: Hard to say, but Syracuse has only two single-digit losses among its nine, one being 78-71 vs. Georgetown. The Hoyas are 13-10.
Worst loss: at Boston College, 96-81. The Eagles are 9-14.
Other losses: Connecticut, South Carolina, Wisconsin, St. John's, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Notre Dame
What Syracuse does well: The Orange score 77 points per game (96th), shoot 45.9 percent (107th), 39.5 percent from 3 (24th), and 71 percent from the charity stripe (138th). They record 16.5 assists per game (30th). Defensively, Syracuse holds opponents to 69.5 points per game (110th) and 41.3 percent shooting (70th), 33 percent beyond the arc (99th), and records 8.4 steals per game (18th). The Orange's turnover margin is +1.6 (86th).
What Syracuse does poorly: Syracuse is not great on the boards, sporting a -.3 rebounding margin (217th).
Syracuse is somewhat of an enigma this season. It has just two losses at home, but one of those was to St. John's, which has a losing record. Since then, though, the Orange are 6-0 in the Dome, with quality victories over Miami, Florida State, and Wake Forest. The road has been mostly unkind to the Orange, where they have a 10-point loss to Virginia Tech, blowouts against Notre Dame and North Carolina, and, worst of all, a 96-81 embarrassment at Boston College. But Wednesday, Syracuse came back from 16 points down to beat N.C. State in overtime in Raleigh, 100-93. Gillon had 43 points and made 9 of his 10 3s, so Virginia might want to check him today. Overall, Syracuse boasts three players who shoot right at or a little above 40 percent from 3 in Gillon, White, and Lydon, with Battle just under 40 percent. Virginia was able to force Virginia Tech, which has shot great from beyond the arc, into a bad game from there so hopefully it can do the same to the Orange and hope for a little luck, too. Syracuse made 15 of 26 3s vs. the Wolfpack.
UVa has been strong on the road, with a 6-2 record this year, with the losses being to Villanova and Pittsburgh. The Panthers shot 60 percent from 3 but needed overtime to beat the 'Hoos. Syracuse looks like it might be on the rise but is definitely vulnerable, and coach Tony Bennett has done a great job against Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, winning three of the four meetings, and pretty much dominating except for the final 10 minutes i the Elite Eight matchup last year. I'll pick Virginia in a close game.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 1-5 points.
Virginia coasted past rival Virginia Tech at John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday, 71-48. The Cavaliers got a balanced scoring effort with a career-high 17 points from Devon Hall, career-high 15 points from Isaiah Wikins, and 14 from London Perrantes. Marial Shayok had nine points, and Ty Jerome seven. Hall and Wilkins were both one rebound away from a double-double with nine as UVa crushed Tech on the boards, 37-22. Perrantes had two 3s, and Hall, Jerome, and Kyle Guy had one each. The free throws were even and for the most part, I thought the game was fairly called. Of course, it is much easier to say that when Virginia is blowing out its foe, and it doesn't matter what the referees call. The Cavaliers made 16 of 21 from the line while the Hokies were 15 of 20.
Leaving out the Villanova game -- again, when Virginia shot just three free throws and scored 59 points -- the Wahoos have really amped up their offense lately, averaging 71.6 points in their past seven other games in regulation (counting 70 points for the Pitt loss, which was what Virginia had before OT). In five games against strong competition before that stretch -- contests with Florida State, Louisville, Cal, West Virginia, and Ohio State -- Virginia averaged 59 points. That is a big jump and is very encouraging to see. Shayok has taken on a huge part of the scoring, but Hall and Wilkins are really starting to shine, too. Wilkins has been doing his best Mike Scott imitation with midrange jumpers as of late.
And that's before saying anything about Jerome's emergence. The freshman has averaged 10 points the past three games, and before that, his high in a single game was just six -- and that came against UVa's worst opponent, Grambling State -- and he did not score in seven games. Of course, his breakout came on the biggest stage against Villanova when he scored 15 points, including making 3 of his 6 3-pointers and tying the game for Virginia at 59 in the closing seconds in a cold-blooded sequence you just don't see that often from a true freshman. His ball handling, surprising 3-point shooting, and confidence bode well when Virginia fans have to bid adieu to Perrantes, sadly, at the end of this season.
Today, UVa goes to the Carrier Dome to take on Syracuse, and perhaps fans and players alike will be able to confront and maybe extinguish some of the bad memories of losing to the Orange in the Elite Eight last March. Perrantes was asked about that loss after the Virginia Tech game, and he seemed to indicate it still hurt, but that he's trying to move on. I think playing Syracuse again will help, and he seems like the type of player that could use what happened last season as fuel. So let's hope he responds the right way.
Here's more on Syracuse:
Record: 14-9, 6-4 ACC
Leading scorers: Senior guard Andrew White III (17.2), sophomore forward Tyler Lydon (14.3), senior guard John Gillon (10.4), freshman guard Tyus Battle (10)
Leading rebounders: Lydon (7.9), senior forward Tyler Roberson (5.3), senior center DaJuan Coleman (5.1), White (4.6), sophomore center Paschal Chukwu (4.1)
Assist leaders: Gillon (5.3), sophomore guard Frank Howard (4.5)
Notable: Taurean Thompson (8.6), Roberson (6.1), and Coleman (6) are the Orange's other main scorers. Howard averages 4.9 points. Nine players (the ones I've mentioned) all average at least 15 minutes. White, Gillon, Howard, and Battle all average a little more than one steal. Chukwu averages two blocks, and
Best win: vs. No. 6 Florida State last Saturday, 82-72
Worst win: vs. North Florida, 77-71. The Ospreys are 9-16.
Other wins: Colgate, Holy Cross, Monmouth, South Carolina State, Boston University, Eastern Michigan, Cornell, Miami, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Wake Forest, N.C. State
Best loss: Hard to say, but Syracuse has only two single-digit losses among its nine, one being 78-71 vs. Georgetown. The Hoyas are 13-10.
Worst loss: at Boston College, 96-81. The Eagles are 9-14.
Other losses: Connecticut, South Carolina, Wisconsin, St. John's, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Notre Dame
What Syracuse does well: The Orange score 77 points per game (96th), shoot 45.9 percent (107th), 39.5 percent from 3 (24th), and 71 percent from the charity stripe (138th). They record 16.5 assists per game (30th). Defensively, Syracuse holds opponents to 69.5 points per game (110th) and 41.3 percent shooting (70th), 33 percent beyond the arc (99th), and records 8.4 steals per game (18th). The Orange's turnover margin is +1.6 (86th).
What Syracuse does poorly: Syracuse is not great on the boards, sporting a -.3 rebounding margin (217th).
Syracuse is somewhat of an enigma this season. It has just two losses at home, but one of those was to St. John's, which has a losing record. Since then, though, the Orange are 6-0 in the Dome, with quality victories over Miami, Florida State, and Wake Forest. The road has been mostly unkind to the Orange, where they have a 10-point loss to Virginia Tech, blowouts against Notre Dame and North Carolina, and, worst of all, a 96-81 embarrassment at Boston College. But Wednesday, Syracuse came back from 16 points down to beat N.C. State in overtime in Raleigh, 100-93. Gillon had 43 points and made 9 of his 10 3s, so Virginia might want to check him today. Overall, Syracuse boasts three players who shoot right at or a little above 40 percent from 3 in Gillon, White, and Lydon, with Battle just under 40 percent. Virginia was able to force Virginia Tech, which has shot great from beyond the arc, into a bad game from there so hopefully it can do the same to the Orange and hope for a little luck, too. Syracuse made 15 of 26 3s vs. the Wolfpack.
UVa has been strong on the road, with a 6-2 record this year, with the losses being to Villanova and Pittsburgh. The Panthers shot 60 percent from 3 but needed overtime to beat the 'Hoos. Syracuse looks like it might be on the rise but is definitely vulnerable, and coach Tony Bennett has done a great job against Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, winning three of the four meetings, and pretty much dominating except for the final 10 minutes i the Elite Eight matchup last year. I'll pick Virginia in a close game.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 1-5 points.
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