Virginia struggled mightily in the first half, scoring just 2 points through the first 14 minutes. But the Cavaliers scored the final 11 points of the half, and took a 23-20 lead into intermission.
We guess the ACC office figured if it gives Syracuse a rotating home and home series with Duke for a second straight year, the least it can do is also give SU a home and home set with Virginia Tech as well to balance the Orange’s league slate.
Syracuse hits the road to start ACC play with a trip Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech. The Hokies are one of four teams the Orange plays home-and-homes with in league play. The others being Boston College, Duke, and Pittsburgh.
Syracuse’s main problem in the 2013 campaign continues to haunt SU in its 2014 season. Last year, the Orange won just 42 percent of faceoffs, and that bugaboo hurt the Orange again on Saturday.
With the game tied and 11:20 to play, #12 Virginia delivered a knockout punch in the form of a 20-5 run, sending #4 Syracuse to their third loss in four games on Saturday, this one coming on the road by a 75-56 margin.
Syracuse and Virginia played to a 40-40 stalemate with 13:55 left in the game. But Virginia completely took control from there, using a 9-2 run punctuated by a London Perrantes 3-pointer with 8:46 left to give Virginia a 49-42 lead.
This game is likely to be a low-scoring, defensive slugfest. KenPom ranks Virginia fourth in adjusted defensive efficiency at 89.5 (D-1 average is 104.5), while the Orange are at 92.4, good for ninth in the NCAA.