Some things in life, actually a lot of things, are bigger than basketball. Syracuse Orange coach Jim Boeheim is finding that out, just in case he didn’t know. And if he thought a return to the court was going to be his sanctuary, the basketball gods played a cruel joke on him. Facing Duke and North Carolina in games following an accident where Boeheim struck and killed a man on a Syracuse highway, the mood was somber. And so was the Orange’s play, losing both contests. Facing the top three teams in the ACC in a stretch of four games ends Monday when Syracuse hosts the Virginia Cavaliers.
Virginia Cavaliers at Syracuse Orange
Date and Time: Monday, March 4, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
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Virginia at Syracuse TV Coverage: ESPN
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If not for those damn Dookies, the Cavs would be looking at a perfect season. In an offensive outburst, Virginia reached the 80-point mark for the seventh time this season in an 81-51 lambasting of Georgia Tech on Wednesday. The Cavs didn’t sacrifice any of their defensive intensity to reach that number, limiting their fourth straight opponent to less than 60 points while improving to 25-2 overall. Both of the losses were handed out by Duke, which put up the two highest point totals against the Cavs this season.
The ACC schedule makers must have a beef with Syracuse. How else can you explain a four-game stretch that includes games against three of the top-5 teams in the country? Cuse lost the first two, falling at home to Duke, 75-65, in a rematch of the Orange’s biggest win of the season. A visit to Chapel Hill resulted in a 93-85 loss to the Heels, dropping the Orange to 18-10 overall and putting them on the bubble once again.
Key Stat
You can’t talk about the Cavaliers without mentioning their defense. And once again they are the best at limiting opponents’ points. The Cavs are No. 1 in the country in scoring defense allowing just 54.3 points per game. They’ve allowed less than that number in 15 games and have limited teams to fewer than 50 points in a game nine times.
I can hear the critics now saying the numbers are skewed by a weak non-conference schedule, and when the Cavs start playing ACC teams that number is going to sky rocket. There is some truth to that. The points per game allowed is higher during conference-only games. The Cavs are surrendering a whopping 56.7 points in ACC action, up a whole 2.4 points from their season average. And that number includes the 81 and 72 they gave up to Duke.
Key Stat II
While Virginia’s defense is outstanding, their offense is one of the most efficient in the country and constantly gets overlooked by the way the Cavs can completely shut down opponents. UVA averages 71.8 points, not an overly impressive number and good enough for 210th in the country. But the Cavs are deadly accurate shooting the ball. They make nearly 48 percent of their overall field goal attempts and are close to 40 percent from behind the arc, a number that’s good enough for eighth in DI.
The Cavs score 121.6 points per 100 possessions making them the fourth-most efficient team according to kenpom.com. The only teams with a higher number are Gonzaga, Duke and Tennessee. The points per game both for and against stay low because the Cavs slow down the tempo. They would prefer to beat teams with defense, but they can pick it up on the offensive end when needed.
College Basketball Live Betting Picks
Going on the road and beating Duke is impressive, so we can’t totally bypass Syracuse. But the Orange have to be a beaten down team after their gauntlet schedule. They catch a break with a tilt against Wake Forest on Saturday, but the Orange are back at it with a short turnaround to try and figure out UVA. And given what’s happened in Syracuse over the last several days, the focus certainly isn’t on basketball. The Cavs will be favored going into this one and I like them to get another cover on the college basketball betting lines.
College Basketball Score Prediction: Virginia 71, Syracuse 62
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