Syracuse opens its 2019-20 season against the defending national champion No. 11 Virginia. The Orange will search for their first win against the Cavaliers since February 2017 on Wednesday at 9 p.m.

Here’s what to know about Virginia ahead of the season-opener.

Gambling Odds: As of Tuesday night, Virginia is a three-point favorite, with a total of 126.5.

All-time series: Virginia leads 7-5

Last time they played: The Cavaliers entered the Carrier Dome as the No. 2 team in the nation and tied a school record with 18 3-pointers en route to a 79-53 win in March. Syracuse led by two points at the half behind eight-point performances by Paschal Chukwu and Buddy Boeheim. But the Orange shot just 26.9% from the field in the second half while Virginia sank 10-of-13 shots from behind the arc in the second half. UVA outscored SU 47-19 in the second frame and beat the Orange in their final home game.

In the only meeting between the two teams last season, three players who are no longer on the UVA roster lit up the Orange. Kyle Guy scored 25 points while DeAndre Hunter added 21 and Ty Jerome finished with a double-double. Tyus Battle, Elijah Hughes and Buddy Boeheim all shared the point-lead for Syracuse with 11.

The Virginia report: With Guy, Jerome and Hunter all gone to the NBA, UVA enters this season without its top three scorers from a year ago. The Cavaliers return Mamadi Diakite in the frontcourt though and guards Braxton Key and Kihei Clark. Clark and Key combined for 26 starts a year ago. 7-foot-1 forward Jay Huff looks to see increased minutes in the frontcourt and has shown flashes of being a talented scorer.

While UVA graduated a significant portion of its talent, it brings in new unknown skill as well. Casey Morsell, a four-star recruit who was ranked 56th nationally, will make his debut on Wednesday and will likely have an immediate impact. In May, UVA added junior college transfer Tomas Woldetensae. At 6-foot-five and 196 pounds, Woldetensae averaged 17.3 points per game at Indian Hills Community College.

No matter who the Cavaliers are replacing, the defense will likely remain strong. The Cavaliers have ranked top 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom.com each season since 2014.

How Syracuse beats Virginia: If Syracuse truly wants to shoot more 3-pointers this year, it will be put to the test early against Virginia. The Cavaliers run a pack-line defensive scheme, meaning they will eliminate fast break opportunities and drives to the hoop. UVA’s goal is to force its opponent into low percentage deep two-point shots or shots from beyond the arc. Last year, Syracuse shot 8-of-25 from 3 and it will need to be better on Wednesday night. If UVA is going to sink in and force Syracuse to shoot, the Orange have to capitalize.

From there it will come down to the defensive side of the ball and whether Syracuse can force an inexperienced Virginia offense to make mistakes. While many Cavaliers have some college basketball experience, there are a lot of question marks regarding this group together.

Stat to know: 61.4– The percentage of UVA’s total points in 2018-19 that were scored by Hunter, Guy and Jerome.

KenPom odds: Virginia has been given a 65% chance to win. The projected final score is a 65-61 UVA win.

Player to watch: Mamadi Diakite, Forward No. 25

Diakite shined in UVA’s NCAA Tournament championship run a year ago, averaging 10.5 points,  8.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in 32 minutes per game. He had the highest block rate in the ACC last season and at 6-foot-9, 224 pounds, Diakite could be a matchup nightmare for the Orange.

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim noted after SU’s second scrimmage he’s still not sure if there is a sure solution to the team’s frontcourt holes. If he’s proven right on Wednesday, it could mean a long night for SU chasing around Diakite.

Published on November 5, 2019 at 7:07 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44