Teams looking to open ACC action on a roll meet on Saturday when the Syracuse Orange face the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. The Orange (5-2), who tied with Wake Forest for eighth in the conference at 10-10 and were 17-15 overall in 2022-23, are coming off an 80-57 win over LSU in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge on Tuesday. The Cavaliers (6-1), who tied with Miami for the ACC regular-season title at 15-5 and were 25-8 overall last year, defeated Texas A&M 59-47 in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday. UVA is riding a five-game win streak over Syracuse and holds a 13-6 edge in the all-time series.
The game will tip off at noon ET at John Paul Jones Arena. Syracuse is averaging 78.4 points per game, while Virginia averages 64.4. The Cavaliers are 11-point favorites in the latest Syracuse vs. Virginia odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 129. Before entering any Virginia vs. Syracuse picks, you'll want to see the NCAA Basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 4 of the 2023-24 season on an 94-61 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,800 for $100 players. It is also off to an 8-2 roll on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on UVA vs. Syracuse. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the Syracuse vs. UVA game:
- Syracuse vs. Virginia spread: Virginia -11
- Syracuse vs. Virginia over/under: 129 points
- Syracuse vs. Virginia money line: Syracuse +400, Virginia -523
- SYR: The Orange have hit the game total over in 8 of their last 11 away games (+4.70 units)
- UVA: The Cavaliers have won 16 of their last 19 games at home (+11.55 units on ML)
- Syracuse vs. Virginia picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Virginia can cover
Senior guard Reece Beekman, a Preseason All-ACC first team selection, leads the Cavaliers in scoring at 11.9 points per game, and is also averaging 5.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 steals and one block. He was on the Naismith Trophy Preseason 50 Watch List, as well as the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top-50 Watch List. He is coming off a 12-point, five-assist, three-steal and two-blocked shots effort in the win over Texas A&M. In the team's lone loss to Wisconsin, he scored a team-high 17 points, along with seven assists and two steals.
Sophomore guard Ryan Dunn also averages double-figure scoring at 10.6 points per game. He is also generating 6.7 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.9 steals per game, and has garnered a 1.5 assists-to-turnover ratio. In the win on Wednesday, Dunn registered 12 points, five rebounds, a career-high five blocked shots and three steals. He scored 13 points with five rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot against West Virginia on Nov. 22. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why Syracuse can cover
The Orange are led by sophomore guard Judah Mintz, who is coming off a monster performance on Tuesday in an 80-57 win over LSU during the ACC/SEC Challenge. In that game, Mintz poured in 33 points, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists. For the season, he is averaging 20.4 points, 4.1 assists, three rebounds and 2.1 steals. He is connecting on 45.7% of his shots from the floor, including a blistering 42.9% from 3-point range. He is also making 79.4% of his free throws.
Also averaging double-digit scoring is sophomore forward Chris Bell. In seven games, all starts, Bell is averaging 14.6 points and 2.3 rebounds. He is coming off a 20-point, three assist and two rebound performance against LSU, and had 18 points and five boards in a 105-56 win over Chaminade at the Maui Invitational on Nov. 21. He scored a season-high 25 points in a 79-75 victory over Colgate on Nov. 14. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Syracuse vs. Virginia picks
The model has simulated UVA vs. Syracuse 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Virginia vs. Syracuse, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 94-61 roll on its top-ranked college basketball picks, and find out.
