Syracuse Orange vs Virginia Cavaliers NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Betting Preview & Odds
We move on to the Elite 8 and we will see the Syracuse Orange take on the Virginia Cavaliers at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. CBS will carry this game, which has a start time of 6:09 pm EST.
Current betting odds for this game have the have the Virginia listed as 8 point favorites, while the total has been set at 124.5.
Head-To-Head This Year: The Cavaliers won the lone matchup this year by a score of 73-65 as 10 point home favorites.
The Syracuse Orange came into the NCAA Tournament having lost 5 of 6 games, but they have turned it on at the right moment and are now in the Elite 8 to face a familiar foe. The Cuse made it here by taking out Dayton 70-51, MTSU 75-50 and Gonzaga 63-60. The Cuse are now 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600 and 4-1 ATS their last 5 NCAA Tournament games, plus we note that teams in this round that are of at least 3 spread wins in a row are 7-1-1 ATS. Defense is a staple of a Syracuse team and it certainly has been that way here as they have allowed just 53.7 ppg so far in the tournament and they allowed one of the best shooting teams in the nation in Gonzaga to hit just 43.6% of their shots. They also have done it without fouling as MTSU and the Zags combined to shoot just 13 free throws. Overall this defense checks in at 25th in points allowed, giving up just 64.7 ppg, while also ranking 474th in defensive FG% overall, and 17th in 3-point defense. On offense the Orange are led by Michael Gbinije, who averages 17.8 ppg and hits 40.8% from long range. He led the Orange with 20 points vs the Bulldogs. Also scoring in double figures for the Orange is Malachi Richardson (13.0 ppg), Trevor Cooney (12.8 ppg) and Tyler Lydon (10.2 ppg). Tyler Roberson is the team’s leading rebounder at 8.5 rpg and has averaged 13.0 rpg in the tournament. The Orange are not a good offensive team as they come in ranked 252nd in scoring, putting up just 70.1 ppg, while also ranking 239th in shooting overall, 113th from long range and 207th from the charity stripe. The Orange are 173rd in the nation in rebounding, while they commit just 12.0 turnovers per game (109th) and force 13.3 turnovers per game (108th).
The Virginia Cavaliers have looked every part the number 1 seed that they were give this year as they have beaten Hampton by 36, Butler by 8 and Iowa State by 13. The Cavs are now 10-4-1 ATS vs tournament teams this year and they are also 7-1-1 ATS their last seven games vs a winning team, but let’s also note that the #1 seeds in this round are just 1-9 ATS as favorites of more than 7. Virginia has normally been and strong defensive team, but it has been the offense that has gotten them this far, especially in the last two games. The Cavs have put up 80.7 ppg in the tournament so far and while their defense wasn’t as solid vs the Butler and Iowa State, the offense really stepped up to score 77 and 84 points in those two games respectively. For the year, the Cavs are led by Malcolm Brogdon, who averages 18.4 ppg. Anthony Gill is 2nd on the team in scoring at 13.9 ppg, while leading them in rebounding at 6.2 rpg. He has averaged 209.3 ppg in the tournament so far. London Perrantes hits 48.0% from long range and rounds out the double digit scorers on the team at 10.8 ppg. Overall the Cavaliers are not a good offensive team as they rank 226th in scoring, putting up just 70.9 ppg, but they are a good shooting team as they rank 7th in shooting overall 10th from long range and 20th at the charity stripe. On defense they come in at 2nd in points allowed (59.8 ppg), 102nd defensive FG% overall and 193rd in 3-point defense. Virginia is 319th in the nation in rebounding, while they commit just 9.2 turnovers per game (2nd) and force 11.7 turnovers per game (248th).
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