What to know before Syracuse’s bounce-back opportunity vs. Virginia Tech
After falling to Boston College, Syracuse hosts Virginia Tech at home Wednesday in search of a bounce-back win. Leonardo Eriman | Senior Staff Photographer
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Adrian Autry faces the program that gave him his collegiate coaching start when Syracuse hosts Virginia Tech in the JMA Wireless Dome at 9 p.m. Wednesday. The game will air on the ACC Network.
The matchup is a crucial bounce-back for the Orange after falling to Boston College — the lowest-ranked team in the Atlantic Coast Conference — on the road Saturday. The defeat moved SU’s KenPom ranking from No. 58 to No. 68. EvanMiya now ranks the Orange as having the 73rd-best NCAA Tournament resume, labeling it as having “Lots Of Work To Do” to make March Madness.
Meanwhile, VT is ranked No. 57 by KenPom while EvanMiya rates its NCAA Tournament resume as the 52nd-best in the nation. With Syracuse No. 74 in the NET Rankings, Wednesday is a Quad 1 opportunity on the road for the Hokies. For SU, this is a Quad 2 matchup, hosting a Virginia Tech squad that places No. 54 in the NET Rankings.
Here’s everything to know about Syracuse’s (12-6, 3-2 ACC) bout with the Hokies (14-5, 3-3 ACC):
All-time series
Syracuse leads the all-time series 13-8.
Last time they played
A heroic, buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Jaquan Carlos sent Syracuse and Virginia Tech to overtime in Blacksburg on March 1, 2025. Despite leading by as many as 13 and leading for 25 minutes, SU was lucky to force overtime after collapsing down the stretch.
Syracuse ties it at 82-82. We’re going to overtime. pic.twitter.com/0jSKRWzdzH
— Aiden Stepansky (@AidenStepansky) March 1, 2025
Though Carlos’ triple extended the game, the Orange conceded 19 points in overtime en route to a 101-95 loss. Jyáre Davis led SU with 21 points, but Jaydon Young (26), Ben Hammond (21) and Jaden Schutt (20) all scored 20-plus points for the Hokies.
KenPom odds
Syracuse has a 56% chance of winning, with a projected score of 76-74.
The Hokies report
Virginia Tech enters the Domes coming off a 13-point home win over Notre Dame, which improved its conference record to 3-3. The Hokies began ACC play with a thrilling triple-overtime Quad 1 win over Virginia.
However, they’ve since lost two Quad 1 conference games to Wake Forest by three on the road and to SMU by one after Boopie Miller drilled a buzzer-beating deep 3-pointer. On the other hand, VT’s other conference win was a three-point Quad 2 home win over Cal.
The Hokies are a deep team, boasting seven players who average at least 24 minutes and nine points per game. Their best player, though, is West Virginia transfer Amani Hansberry, whose 15.8 points and 6.41 EvanMiya Bayesian Performance Rating lead the team.
Virginia Tech doesn’t have an otherworldly great offense or defense, but both are solid units. Per KenPom, VT ranks 71st in offense and 60th in defense nationally. What the Hokies do at an elite level, though, is not turn the ball over (14.3 TO% ranks 28th) and defend the 3-point line (28.8 3-point% allowed ranks 10th).
Head coach Mike Young is now in his seventh season as VT’s head coach, but the program is amid a three-season March Madness drought after making the tournament in two of Young’s first three years at the helm. A Quad 1 win over the Orange would certainly help the Hokies’ NCAA Tournament resume.
How Syracuse beats Virginia Tech
As Autry put it after the Orange lost on Saturday, “18 turnovers is crazy.” For Syracuse to beat Virginia Tech, it starts with limiting the turnovers. VT doesn’t turn the ball over frequently, as mentioned above, so the Orange mustn’t let the turnover margin go awry.
That starts with point guard Naithan George, who had seven turnovers against BC and is averaging over five per game in ACC play. Autry said during Monday’s ACC Coaches Call that he thinks George should take “less risk.” He used a baseball analogy, saying to sometimes go for the single instead of the home-run pass.
While Donnie Freeman’s return has been crucial for the Orange, he also must be stronger and smarter with the ball after he accumulated seven turnovers against Boston College. In a contest that is projected to be a one-score game, each possession counts. If Syracuse gives them away at an alarming rate, it could cost them a crucial bounce-back win.
Stat to know: 34.5%
While Virginia Tech has a very good 3-point shooter in Jaden Scutt (42.7% on 5.8 attempts per game), a very efficient one in Tyler Johnson (41.7% on 2.8 attempts per game) and another solid option in Ben Hammond (36.2% on 2.5 attempts per game), it’s not a great 3-point shooting team.
The Hokies make 34.6% of their 3s, which ranks 160th in the country. Syracuse, meanwhile, places 233rd with a 33.2% 3-point percentage.
Factoring in how good VT’s 3-point defense is with the Orange not being a good 3-point shooting team, the Hokies can potentially leave the Dome with a win if their outside shooting steps up.
Player to watch: Amani Hansberry, forward, No. 13
Hansberry is now playing for his third program in as many seasons. The forward began his collegiate career at Illinois, where he played sparingly, before transferring to West Virginia.
As a Mountaineer, Hansberry became a key part of Darian DeVries’ rotation, starting 24 of 31 games while notching 9.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Following the season, DeVries left WVU after one season with the program to become Indiana’s head coach.
The 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward then entered the portal, landing at VT. He’s now enjoying his best collegiate season yet, averaging 15.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists, while shooting 50% from the field.
