Elijah Hughes warming up before a Syracuse Orange home game (Photo by Adam Rombel/BJNN)
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Syracuse basketball (14-5, 5-1 ACC) looks for a fourth straight win when the Orange visit the No. 10 Virginia Tech Hokies (15-3, 4-2 ACC) on Saturday night.
The game tips off just after 8 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum and will be televised on ESPN. You can also stream it through the WatchESPN app. Mike Couzens and Corey Alexander will be the announcers.
Syracuse faces the challenge of a quick turnaround (less than 48 hours), and having to travel after beating Miami, 73-53, at the Carrier Dome on Thursday night. The Orange shook off an early deficit to demolish the Hurricanes behind a barrage of 14 made three-point shots. It was the third consecutive game in which the Cuse made 10 or more threes. Forward Elijah Hughes led Syracuse with 22 points and six treys against Miami.
Virginia Tech has been off since Monday night, when it was shellacked 103-82 at No. 11 North Carolina. That followed an easy win vs. ACC cellar dweller Wake Forest and a blowout loss at No. 4 Virginia.
The Hokies are led by 6’5 sophomore guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (18.3 points a game), who is projected to be an early first round pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Virginia Tech ranks third in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage at 42.1 percent.
What’s at stake for Syracuse?
The Orange have a chance to seize a third road win over a ranked opponent by beating the Hokies. Syracuse previously defeated No. 16 Ohio State and No. 1 Duke in their buildings. That would further solidify the team’s place in projected NCAA Tournament brackets. Improving to 6-1 in ACC play would also start to make the Orange a serious contender in the conference-title race.The Cuse have two more road games in their immediate future with visits to Boston College and Pittsburgh slated for next Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.
Saturday night’s game is the 13th all-time meeting between Virginia Tech and Syracuse, with the Orange leading the series 9-3, including 9-1 in the last 10 games. Syracuse won last season’s matchup, 68-56, at the Carrier Dome in both teams’ league opener. However, Virginia Tech did win the last time the teams played in Blacksburg, 83-73, two seasons ago.
Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com
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