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Syracuse ended a three-game losing streak Wednesday night by defeating NC State 74-60. SU’s defense thwarted any Wolfpack comeback attempts throughout the contest, and 46 points in the paint led it to victory, likely securing a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

The Orange look to build their third winning streak of the season on the road against Virginia Tech on Saturday. With the Hokies just one game ahead of Syracuse in the ACC standings, a win for SU would elevate it from the current No. 14 spot possibly into the top 12.

Here’s how our beat writers feel Syracuse (12-16, 6-11 Atlantic Coast) will fare against Virginia Tech (12-16, 7-10 Atlantic Coast):

Zak Wolf (24-4)
Orange-burg
Syracuse 69, Virginia Tech 65

Syracuse hasn’t had a winning streak since it beat Georgia Tech and Boston College on Jan. 7 and 11. For reference, students still hadn’t returned to campus for the spring semester then. It’s been a while, but I think it’s time for Syracuse to finally win back-to-back games.

The Orange scored 46 points in the paint against NC State, and their aggressiveness down low will continue against VT. The Hokies starting frontcourt of Ben Burnham and Mylyjael Poteat isn’t that imposing, standing at 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-9, respectively, giving Eddie Lampkin Jr. an advantage down low. Over the past five games, Lampkin has dominated, averaging 16.6 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. A heavy dose of Lampkin with Jyáre Davis sprinkled in will provide instant offense for Syracuse.

On the other end, the Hokies don’t present many threats to Syracuse. Tobi Lawal leads them with 12.5 points per game, but nobody else is in double figures. NC State had a similar score-by-committee offense, and the Orange had their best defensive performance in a month against it. This one won’t be a classic offensive outing for either team, but Syracuse will grind it out on the road.

Aiden Stepansky (23-5)
Hokie, Hokie, Hokie
Syracuse 63, Virginia Tech 67

All along, I thought this two-game stretch against NC State and then Virginia Tech would be a split. While I didn’t see the Orange stomping on the Wolfpack in the fashion they did, the win reassured me of my pick for SU’s trip to Blacksburg. I’ll stick to my gut here and go with a loss for Syracuse.

There are many signs of how the Orange can win this game. VT is just 2-6 at home in ACC play this year. The Hokies also have been extremely unimpressive offensively, even dropping a whopping 36 points against BC just a few weeks ago. The conference, at this point, is a combination of middling teams that could likely switch between seeding over the final games.

But do we really think SU can win back-to-back games? The Orange haven’t done so since the first week of January when they took down Georgia Tech and then Boston College. I do see the hype behind this team after a commanding win Wednesday night, but I don’t see Syracuse repeating its success. If the Hokies can establish their style — a low-scoring, defensive battle — they’ll come out on top. I see them doing just that.

Justin Girshon (22-6)
Roadkill
Syracuse 72, Virginia Tech 76

Syracuse’s matchup against Virginia Tech is the epitome of what the ACC is this year: two poor teams playing basketball against each other. While SU ranks No. 123 in KenPom and 140 in the NET Rankings, VT is ranked No. 146 and 156, respectively.

Since an embarrassing loss to Boston College, Virginia Tech defeated Miami — which beat Syracuse — by double digits before narrowly falling to a really solid Louisville squad. While this is definitely a winnable game for SU, as it’s considered a Quad 3 matchup, I don’t have much confidence it’ll win back-to-back games for the first time in about a month and a half.

The Hokies only do one thing well: shoot 3s. Their 35.9% clip from beyond the arc ranks 68th nationally, and they have 10 players shooting over 35.0%. Meanwhile, the Orange’s 32.7% 3-point percentage ranks 231st in the country. In a road game expected to come down to the wire, I see the 3-point battle making the difference.

Published on February 28, 2025 at 10:53 pm