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Syracuse now has 10 games left in the regular season, starting the end of an Atlantic Coast Conference stretch that will make or break its postseason. The Orange have come close against the ACC’s best recently, losing by only four points to Miami and UNC. Now, they have the chance to defeat another top ACC team, one they’ve already faced and defeated before.

The Hokies lost to the Orange exactly two weeks ago, part of a seven-game stretch where they didn’t win a single game. But VT rebounded with a 78-75 win over Duke on Monday, returning to Blacksburg, Virginia to face SU.

Here’s what else to know about Virginia Tech before the matchup:

All-time series

Syracuse leads, 12-6.

Last time they played

Earlier this month, the Orange clinched their first win over a top-50 KenPom team, defeating the Hokies who were ranked No. 41 at that time. The Orange had a six-point lead at halftime, going on a 12-2 run early in the second half to put the Hokies out of reach. Five SU scorers finished with double-digits in scoring, led by Joe Girard III’s 24.

“I thought we played as well offensively as we’ve played all year,” head coach Jim Boeheim said postgame. “It was a really good effort against a good team.”

Syracuse overextended the 2-3 zone to prevent Virginia Tech’s shooting ability from deep. Jesse Edwards said postgame the Orange were willing to give up 2s but not 3-pointers at any point. It worked, as the Hokies shot 16% from deep, the best Syracuse has done at preventing makes from beyond the arc this season.

KenPom Odds

Virginia Tech has a 72% chance of winning with a projected score of 74-68.

The Hokies report

Virginia Tech has been stuck in a terrible spell for most of the month before it surprised Duke in a three-point win on Monday. The Hokies dropped seven-straight ACC games, including an overtime defeat to Boston College, which the Orange easily handled this season. But outside of losing to SU and Virginia by 10 points during that stretch, all defeats came by at most five points.

The Hokies were almost perfect in nonconference play aside from a two-point loss to Charleston in mid November. They rarely turn the ball over with a 15.1% turnover rate, which is 15th-best nationally, per KenPom. Similar to the Orange, VT isn’t as strong on the offensive boards, averaging a 26.6% offensive-rebounding rate. But it has an effective fielde goal percentage of 53.1%, which ranks 61st nationally, according to KenPom.

Sean Pedulla leads the Hokies offensively, averaging 16.0 points per game and a team-high 85 assists. From deep, Hunter Cattoor, who didn’t play in the last matchup between both teams, leads VT on 41.1% shooting.

Max Tomaiuolo | Asst. Digital Editor

How Syracuse beats Virginia Tech

The Orange should continue to follow the blueprint they established the last time they played the Hokies — needing to stop them from deep. With the return of Cattoor, this might be a tougher task this time around. They’ve also scored 10 or more 3-pointers in two of their last three games.

Syracuse might face some issues on the offensive glass as Virginia Tech only allows its opponents to rebound at a rate of 26.8% on the offensive end. But the confidence that Chris Bell displayed in the last game on the boards and the continuous aggressive play from Maliq Brown should help on the glass.

Brown was an issue for the Hokies last time, which might have just been a result of them not knowing what to expect from the freshman who was only playing meaningful minutes for the second time. Brown earned his first career double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds), grabbing five offensive rebounds. If he can make the same impact again and force VT to focus on him as well, that should open up even more opportunities for Edwards down low.

Stat to know: 52.6

The Hokies were shooting lights out from beyond the arc against the Blue Devils, finishing with a 52.6% success rate from deep. Cattoor shot 50% on his own, going 5-for-10 from the 3-point line. This showing was the best the Hokies have shot the deep ball all year and the sixth time they made more than 40% of their attempts.

Player to watch: Justyn Mutts, forward, No. 25

Mutts has shot 57.3% from the field this season, which is fourth-best in the ACC. He recorded the second-ever triple-double in program history against SU last season, finishing with 12 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Mutts scored a season-high 27 points against North Carolina this season, notching 21 points against the Orange this year.

Published on January 26, 2023 at 12:02 am

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu