Syracuse at No. 18 Virginia, 4 p.m. ESPN
In addition to working hard on my in-depth Orange Bowl breakdown, the other reason I decided to not write a preview for the Virginia-Boston College hoops game was that I figured it would be a relatively easy win for the Cavaliers, especially after how they looked against Virginia Tech. It wasn't supposed to be a *big* game. Oops.
The Wahoos fell behind the Eagles early on Tuesday in Massachusetts and never completely recovered in a 60-53 loss. It was a very disappointing outing coming off of a well-played victory over the Hokies last weekend. BC was missing its two best players, and Virginia Tech was a better team on paper. The back-to-back results just show the inconsistency of this season's team. For me, the worst part was that the 'Hoos were able to come back from being down 12 to take a 50-45 lead with 5:25 left, and couldn't hold it. Most Cavaliers teams put the foot on the neck in that situation, but this one has yet to find that highest gear.
To read more on the BC game, click here to check out the HoosPlace.com writeup. (Note: I am still writing for Hoos Place, but am just posting my stories in both places. That particular game story is by my colleague, "Seattle Hoo.")
Virginia now has three losses to Purdue, South Carolina, and Boston College. None of those teams is ranked, and all could go down as bad defeats, except maybe the one against the Boilermakers. That one was the easiest to understand. Purdue and its fans were out for blood after what happened in the Elite Eight. The margin of victory was alarming, though (69-40). Still, not unexpected. The South Carolina loss was somewhat excusable, too, because UVa didn't have Braxton Key, arguably its best player. To be sure, the team didn't play well, and South Carolina is nothing special (it followed up its big road win by losing at home to Stetson), but the Cavaliers also weren't at full strength. It also wasn't an ACC game, so you could kind of say, "OK, the team is still tuning up for conference play. This wasn't that important." But the BC loss is a different story. It's the first one where I was really disappointed in the effort, and because I know the team is capable of much more.
The debate among Virginia fans this season is this: How much do you care about this year since we won the national championship in 2018-19? One segment of the fan base is pretty much saying that it doesn't care too much about how this season turns out. To me, those fans sometimes seem a little too nonchalant after this year's losses. My expectations are reasonable. I never expected this team to match what last year's accomplished. And ultimately, yes, when this season ends, I will be OK with whatever happens, taking solace in the title. But I think we should still be a little upset when the team doesn't play to its usual standard in a particular game, even if that standard is taking into account this new roster. Tony Bennett always talks about each team maxing out its potential. And that didn't happen against the Eagles. I was
able to pretty much shrug off the Purdue and SC losses, but not the BC loss.
It's still early, but for now, the 'Hoos are actually trending toward some bubble trouble come March. They return home to face a disappointing Syracuse team today, and there's more downside than upside in playing the Orange. Another home loss to a subpar team won't do anything for the NCAA tournament resume. Basically, UVa is trying to avoid a bad loss. Here's more on Syracuse:
Record: 8-7, 1-3 ACC
Coach: Jim Boeheim, 44th year, 954-392
Scorers in double figures: Junior forward Elijah Hughes (19.6), sophomore guard Buddy Boeheim (15.3), freshman guard Joseph Girard III (11.9), junior forward Marek Dolezaj (9.9, going to go ahead and count that)
Leading rebounders: Junior forward Bourama Sidibe (7.7), Dolezaj (6.6), freshman forward Quincy Guerrier (4.9), Hughes (4.8)
Assist leaders: Hughes (4.5), Girard (4), Dolezaj (3)
Notable: Only two other players average at least 5.5 points. If Brycen Goodine plays, the Orange have seven players averaging double-figure minutes. He broke his nose in a recent practice and got a custom-fitted mask to wear this week. He did not play against Virginia Tech on Tuesday. Another player, Jalen Carey, averaged 11.5 minutes in two games before hurting his thumb. Girard, Dolezaj, Sidibe, and Boeheim each average one steal. Sidibe, Hughes, and Dolezaj average one block.
Best win: Syracuse has one victory over a high-major team: at Georgia Tech, 97-63, on Dec. 7. The Yellow Jackets are just 7-8 but gave Duke all they could handle Wednesday. Otherwise, Syracuse also beat Colgate, which is 12-4.
Worst win: All of Syracuse's victories are by double digits, but 71-57 over Niagara, which is 3-10, isn't particularly impressive.
Other wins: Seattle, Cornell, Bucknell, Oakland, North Florida
Best loss: Syracuse led Virginia Tech for more than a half Tuesday but lost, 67-63. The Hokies are 11-4.
Worst loss: Oklahoma State, 86-72, in Brooklyn on Nov. 27. The Cowboys are 9-5. The Orange have no losses to teams with losing records.
Other losses: UVa, Penn State, Iowa, Georgetown, Notre Dame
Common opponents with UVa: Just the Hokies, whom the Wahoos clobbered, 65-39, last weekend.
What Syracuse does well: The Orange shoot 3s pretty well at 36.4 percent (62nd in the nation).
What Syracuse doesn't do well: The Orange have a -1 rebounding margin (tied-244th).
There have been some recent years when Virginia could play poorly and still win most of its games. This is clearly not one of those years. The Cavaliers should be able to beat the Orange. They should be able to beat them handily at John Paul Jones Arena. But if the bad version of this season's Wahoos show up -- the one we saw Tuesday -- Syracuse definitely has more than a fighting chance.
The Orange, if they have NCAA tournament aspirations (and a team like Syracuse always should), are more desperate than the Cavaliers for a quality victory. At 8-7, they have a long road to hoe if they are going to make a run toward the postseason. Syracuse just lost two tough games at home by a combined five points to Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.
Virginia opened this season with a 48-34 win at the Carrier Dome, but the Cavaliers should not count on 48 being enough to beat the Orange a second time. Almost always, when UVa scores at least 70, that is a guaranteed win, with the notable exception of the Duke games last season. This season, 60 seems like a good milestone to hit since the defense is very good. Though we say the defense is great every year, this unit is still holding teams below 50 points per game, 47.6, despite Boston College reaching 60. The Cavaliers have scored 65 on three occasions, their season high. I have a friend that thinks 55 is the magic number this season. Whatever it might be, I don't think it can be below 50. We can't count on Syracuse shooting 23.6 percent overall and 17.2 percent from beyond the arc -- worse than the Hokies did last Saturday.
Whenever a team faces Syracuse, it is so beneficial to hit 3s over the 2-3 zone and loosen it up, and obviously, UVa is lacking in that department. After five consecutive games shooting above 30 percent on 3-pointers, the Cavaliers reverted against the Eagles, hitting just 18.8 percent (3 of 18). In the first meeting against the Orange, the 'Hoos were actually a little worse than their opponent -- 16 percent (4 of 25). On the season, Virginia is at 28.2 percent (about 335th), meaning it only shoots better than about 15 teams.
This team has some Jekyll and Hyde in it. You have to look no further than the past two outings to notice that. It makes sense, too, given the stars that left and the relative youth on this squad. From game to game, for now, until the guys show us more, it's just going to depend on which team shows up. In that way, the basketball 'Hoos are more like the football 'Hoos this season. They are capable of winning of course, but they are also more capable of losing than fans are used to. But back at friendly JPJ, I'll take the 'Hoos in a close game that doesn't get out of the 50s.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 1-5 points.
In addition to working hard on my in-depth Orange Bowl breakdown, the other reason I decided to not write a preview for the Virginia-Boston College hoops game was that I figured it would be a relatively easy win for the Cavaliers, especially after how they looked against Virginia Tech. It wasn't supposed to be a *big* game. Oops.
The Wahoos fell behind the Eagles early on Tuesday in Massachusetts and never completely recovered in a 60-53 loss. It was a very disappointing outing coming off of a well-played victory over the Hokies last weekend. BC was missing its two best players, and Virginia Tech was a better team on paper. The back-to-back results just show the inconsistency of this season's team. For me, the worst part was that the 'Hoos were able to come back from being down 12 to take a 50-45 lead with 5:25 left, and couldn't hold it. Most Cavaliers teams put the foot on the neck in that situation, but this one has yet to find that highest gear.
To read more on the BC game, click here to check out the HoosPlace.com writeup. (Note: I am still writing for Hoos Place, but am just posting my stories in both places. That particular game story is by my colleague, "Seattle Hoo.")
Virginia now has three losses to Purdue, South Carolina, and Boston College. None of those teams is ranked, and all could go down as bad defeats, except maybe the one against the Boilermakers. That one was the easiest to understand. Purdue and its fans were out for blood after what happened in the Elite Eight. The margin of victory was alarming, though (69-40). Still, not unexpected. The South Carolina loss was somewhat excusable, too, because UVa didn't have Braxton Key, arguably its best player. To be sure, the team didn't play well, and South Carolina is nothing special (it followed up its big road win by losing at home to Stetson), but the Cavaliers also weren't at full strength. It also wasn't an ACC game, so you could kind of say, "OK, the team is still tuning up for conference play. This wasn't that important." But the BC loss is a different story. It's the first one where I was really disappointed in the effort, and because I know the team is capable of much more.
The debate among Virginia fans this season is this: How much do you care about this year since we won the national championship in 2018-19? One segment of the fan base is pretty much saying that it doesn't care too much about how this season turns out. To me, those fans sometimes seem a little too nonchalant after this year's losses. My expectations are reasonable. I never expected this team to match what last year's accomplished. And ultimately, yes, when this season ends, I will be OK with whatever happens, taking solace in the title. But I think we should still be a little upset when the team doesn't play to its usual standard in a particular game, even if that standard is taking into account this new roster. Tony Bennett always talks about each team maxing out its potential. And that didn't happen against the Eagles. I was
It's still early, but for now, the 'Hoos are actually trending toward some bubble trouble come March. They return home to face a disappointing Syracuse team today, and there's more downside than upside in playing the Orange. Another home loss to a subpar team won't do anything for the NCAA tournament resume. Basically, UVa is trying to avoid a bad loss. Here's more on Syracuse:
Record: 8-7, 1-3 ACC
Coach: Jim Boeheim, 44th year, 954-392
Scorers in double figures: Junior forward Elijah Hughes (19.6), sophomore guard Buddy Boeheim (15.3), freshman guard Joseph Girard III (11.9), junior forward Marek Dolezaj (9.9, going to go ahead and count that)
Leading rebounders: Junior forward Bourama Sidibe (7.7), Dolezaj (6.6), freshman forward Quincy Guerrier (4.9), Hughes (4.8)
Assist leaders: Hughes (4.5), Girard (4), Dolezaj (3)
Notable: Only two other players average at least 5.5 points. If Brycen Goodine plays, the Orange have seven players averaging double-figure minutes. He broke his nose in a recent practice and got a custom-fitted mask to wear this week. He did not play against Virginia Tech on Tuesday. Another player, Jalen Carey, averaged 11.5 minutes in two games before hurting his thumb. Girard, Dolezaj, Sidibe, and Boeheim each average one steal. Sidibe, Hughes, and Dolezaj average one block.
Best win: Syracuse has one victory over a high-major team: at Georgia Tech, 97-63, on Dec. 7. The Yellow Jackets are just 7-8 but gave Duke all they could handle Wednesday. Otherwise, Syracuse also beat Colgate, which is 12-4.
Worst win: All of Syracuse's victories are by double digits, but 71-57 over Niagara, which is 3-10, isn't particularly impressive.
Other wins: Seattle, Cornell, Bucknell, Oakland, North Florida
Best loss: Syracuse led Virginia Tech for more than a half Tuesday but lost, 67-63. The Hokies are 11-4.
Worst loss: Oklahoma State, 86-72, in Brooklyn on Nov. 27. The Cowboys are 9-5. The Orange have no losses to teams with losing records.
Other losses: UVa, Penn State, Iowa, Georgetown, Notre Dame
Common opponents with UVa: Just the Hokies, whom the Wahoos clobbered, 65-39, last weekend.
What Syracuse does well: The Orange shoot 3s pretty well at 36.4 percent (62nd in the nation).
What Syracuse doesn't do well: The Orange have a -1 rebounding margin (tied-244th).
There have been some recent years when Virginia could play poorly and still win most of its games. This is clearly not one of those years. The Cavaliers should be able to beat the Orange. They should be able to beat them handily at John Paul Jones Arena. But if the bad version of this season's Wahoos show up -- the one we saw Tuesday -- Syracuse definitely has more than a fighting chance.
The Orange, if they have NCAA tournament aspirations (and a team like Syracuse always should), are more desperate than the Cavaliers for a quality victory. At 8-7, they have a long road to hoe if they are going to make a run toward the postseason. Syracuse just lost two tough games at home by a combined five points to Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.
Virginia opened this season with a 48-34 win at the Carrier Dome, but the Cavaliers should not count on 48 being enough to beat the Orange a second time. Almost always, when UVa scores at least 70, that is a guaranteed win, with the notable exception of the Duke games last season. This season, 60 seems like a good milestone to hit since the defense is very good. Though we say the defense is great every year, this unit is still holding teams below 50 points per game, 47.6, despite Boston College reaching 60. The Cavaliers have scored 65 on three occasions, their season high. I have a friend that thinks 55 is the magic number this season. Whatever it might be, I don't think it can be below 50. We can't count on Syracuse shooting 23.6 percent overall and 17.2 percent from beyond the arc -- worse than the Hokies did last Saturday.
Whenever a team faces Syracuse, it is so beneficial to hit 3s over the 2-3 zone and loosen it up, and obviously, UVa is lacking in that department. After five consecutive games shooting above 30 percent on 3-pointers, the Cavaliers reverted against the Eagles, hitting just 18.8 percent (3 of 18). In the first meeting against the Orange, the 'Hoos were actually a little worse than their opponent -- 16 percent (4 of 25). On the season, Virginia is at 28.2 percent (about 335th), meaning it only shoots better than about 15 teams.
This team has some Jekyll and Hyde in it. You have to look no further than the past two outings to notice that. It makes sense, too, given the stars that left and the relative youth on this squad. From game to game, for now, until the guys show us more, it's just going to depend on which team shows up. In that way, the basketball 'Hoos are more like the football 'Hoos this season. They are capable of winning of course, but they are also more capable of losing than fans are used to. But back at friendly JPJ, I'll take the 'Hoos in a close game that doesn't get out of the 50s.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 1-5 points.
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