Syracuse vs. Virginia Pick
Can Syracuse go on the road and compete with the red-hot, No. 9 Virginia team when the two meet tonight at 8PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Virginia is favored at home, as the Cavaliers are getting odds of -9 points against Syracuse. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 113 points. Tonight’s game takes place from John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia and will air on the ACC Network.
Syracuse has lost two straight, including a 51-49 loss at home to Notre Dame this past weekend. The Orange are 12-4 overall, 1-2 in the ACC and 6-8 against the spread. Syracuse is putting up 70 points per game on offense this year while allowing just 62.2 per contest. Tyus Battle is leading Syracuse with 19.5 points per game while Frank Howard is adding 15.4 points per contest.
Virginia is on a six-game win streak right now following a 61-49 win over North Carolina at home this past weekend. The Cavs are now 14-1 overall, 3-0 in the ACC and 9-3 against the spread. UVA is averaging 70.9 points per game on offense while holding opponents to just 52.5 per game on defense. The Cavs are being led by Kyle Guy, who is averaging 14.9 points per game. Devon Hall is adding 11.9 per contest.
Syracuse has won two straight meetings with Virginia while covering the spread in three straight encounters. This should be a defensive battle, but the UVA defense is much more consistent. The Cavs are allowing just 50 points per game at home and Syracuse doesn’t have an offense to really change those numbers. Look for Virginia to grind away the Orange and eventually pull away in the closing minutes. The public betting is strong with Virginia today and I agree with them.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: VIRGINIA -9