Wahoos Set for Regular Season Finale at Syracuse
By Josh Burton
Coming off a tightly contested 60-57 victory over Florida State on Tuesday, the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball team now sits at 15-15 (8-11 ACC) and will look to finish the regular season with a winning record as they head to Syracuse on Saturday. This one is scheduled for an 8 pm tip and will air on ACC Network.
About Syracuse
The Syracuse Orange are led by head coach Adrian Autry, in his second season. Autry is 32-30 in his time at Syracuse, with the Orange being 12-18 (6-13 ACC) this season. They’re coming off a close 77-75 loss at SMU Tuesday night. Autry was rumored to potentially be on the hot seat, but it was confirmed this week that he would be back next season.
Syracuse has had a rough season, but they’ve been more competitive lately and improved on the offensive end. They’re also a very experienced team, with seven of their eight current rotation players being upperclassmen. Last time out they started:
G - #5 Jaquan Carlos (6’ Senior, Hofstra transfer, averages 6.4 points and 4 assists)
G - #2 J.J. Starling (6’4” Junior, averages 18 points)
G - #3 Lucas Taylor (6’5” Senior, Georgia State transfer, averages 6 points)
F - #13 Jyare Davis (6’7” Senior, Delaware transfer, averages 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds)
C - #44 Eddie Lampkin Jr. (6’11” Covid Senior, Colorado transfer, averages 11.1 points and 9.6 rebounds)
6’7” junior Chris Bell (#4) also plays a key role off the bench, averaging 9.9 points.
Defending Inside
Syracuse isn’t a team that’s going to overwhelm you with three-point shooting, although they’ve been much more efficient in that area the last few games. Most of their damage is done inside the arc, where Starling shines at getting to the rim and Lampkin is the type of big body scoring center that has shown to give the Hoos fits this season.
Look for the Wahoos to throw different looks at these talented players, and for the frontcourt to continue to rotate. This is the type of physical matchup inside where first-year Anthony Robinson could really shine.
Seeding Possibilities
As always this time of year, the last game of the season could have major implications on the ACC tournament bracket. If the Hoos take care of business and get some help from Clemson (hosting Virginia Tech), UVA would clinch the 9 seed and a first round bye for the ACC tournament. There are some other scenarios where this could work out as well, but this is the most straightforward way to get there.
This contest will conclude the regular season, and the ACC tournament will begin on Tuesday. Although it’s been a challenging season for the Hoos, it should not be forgotten that last year NC State went from 10-seed in ACC tournament to the Final Four. In March, anything can happen. Locker Room Access will have full coverage of the rest of the season, beginning with our pregame show airing 30 minutes before tip.
(Image Credit: Josie Drumheller/UVA Athletics)