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Western New York State here come the Hokies
We can say from experience of life that Western New York State in the middle of Winter is not for the faint of heart. The snow can be deep (though this year it hasn’t been terrible) and the weather is often cloudy and cold.
Got Syracuse on deck #StoneByStone | #Hokies
— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 22, 2021
Where are the Orange, anyway? Record wise, not geographical reference wise.
The latest ACC Standings #ACCMBB pic.twitter.com/i3cl8qBw1c
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) January 22, 2021
Well, the Orange are smack dab in the bottom of the middle third of the ACC teams. Their overall record is actually not horrible at 8-4, but they are behind the power curve in the ACC at 2-3.
For whatever reason the Hokies are 2 1⁄4 point dogs in this matchup in some of the early Wise Guy ratings. That might change as things solidify, but there is a distinct lack of that sort of energy behind the Hokies who are new to extended runs in the Top 25 game, and Syracuse seems to be on some sort of improvement streak. Their last game was a solid win over Miami (83 - 57) but that followed their 2nd loss to Pitt (96 - 76). A team with that level of inconsistency can be vulnerable.
The Orange do bring some broad based scoring numbers to the mix.
Syracuse Orange Men’s Basketball Averages
| Name | Avg Points | Avg Rebounds | Avg. Assists | Avg Steals | Avg Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Avg Points | Avg Rebounds | Avg. Assists | Avg Steals | Avg Blocks |
| Q. Guerrier | 16.7 | 9.7 | 1 | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| B. Boeheim | 16 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 0 |
| A. Griffin | 15.8 | 6.9 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| J. Girard III | 11.3 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 1.6 | 0.1 |
| M. Dolezaj | 10.7 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 1 |
Their team leaders Forward Quincy Guerrier and Guard Joseph Girard III have good support from the field by the remainder of the team. Syracuse looks to be able to put up some big points, and pull down some serious boards. ‘Cuse is leading Tech in total rebounds. Tech’s ball handling will also become an issue if the team is not careful. The Hokies are prone to 2nd half slumps and turning the ball over. In both cases they’ll have to minimize their problems in order to notch their next ACC win.
The game is schedule for noon on Saturday January 23. (That’s tomorrow for the calendar challenged - like me.) It’s looking like the broadcast will be on Regional Sports Network, so it’s likely to be on one of the other college basketball covering channels. So, no sweating not getting the ACCNetwork for Xfinity customers.
It’s going to be a tough outing for the Hokies. No matter what the wiseguys might say, Tech should win this one, but it’s not going to be a run away unless there is some sort of breakdown on the Syracuse side of the court.
We’ll see what happens with Mike Young’s crew. It’s only his second year with the program and he’s already running a ranked team. That’s reason enough to celebrate, but the Hokies need to win on Saturday to stay there.
GO HOKIES!!!!