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Entering Wednesday night, Syracuse’s fate was largely on the line. Facing off against NC State — which came in one loss behind the Orange in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings — posed a serious threat to SU’s ACC Tournament hopes.

The Orange, however, produced one of their best performances of the season. Syracuse’s defense allowed 60 points despite giving up 85.6 points per game over its previous five, leading the Wolfpack from wire to wire. Jyáre Davis and Eddie Lampkin Jr.’s combined inside prowess resulted in 46 points in the paint, likely securing SU a trip to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament.

With three games to play, the Orange now embark on the possibility of upgrading their conference tournament seeding against Virginia Tech. The Hokies are just one game ahead of SU in the ACC and have lost three of their last four games.

Here’s everything to know about Virginia Tech (12-16, 7-10 Atlantic Coast) ahead of its matchup with Syracuse (12-16, 6-11 Atlantic Coast) on Saturday in Blacksburg:

All time series

Syracuse leads 13-7.

Last time they played …

Behind a 29-point performance from Judah Mintz, Syracuse took down Virginia Tech 84-71 on Feb. 27, 2024, for its 10th ACC win of the season. Labeled as their “most complete game” by head coach Adrian Autry, the Orange jumped out to an 18-point halftime lead.

With VT getting double-digit points from four scorers — including a team-high 18 from guard Sean Pedulla — it made a late push to cut the deficit to as low as seven in the second half. Still, SU pulled away, securing a victory with two games to play in the regular season.

KenPom Odds

Syracuse has a 43% chance of winning, with a projected score of 73-71.

The Hokies report

In its sixth year under head coach Mike Young, Virginia Tech has struggled to find an offensive identity. Young has led the Hokies to two NCAA Tournament berths in his tenure, but this year’s squad is one of just three teams to average less than 70 points per game in the ACC. At 69.0 points per game, VT ranks second-to-last in the conference.

Virginia Tech currently has just one player averaging double-digit scoring. VCU transfer Tobi Lawal (12.5) leads the way, and Mylyjael Poteat is close behind at 9.6 in his fifth year of college. The Hokies have posed a spread-out scoring barrage, with eight players averaging over five points per game and 10 averaging 10 or more minutes per game.

Much of their star power from a season ago transferred or graduated. Pedulla left for Ole Miss. Hunter Cattoor’s potent 3-pointer is now used professionally in the French LNB Pro A league. Center Lynn Kidd is still in the ACC but with Miami.

Where the Hokies have lacked offensively, they’ve made up for it defensively. VT allows just 71.7 points per game, 6.3 less than the Orange. Virginia Tech hasn’t given up more than 75 points in 13-of-17 ACC contests, recently holding Louisville to 71 despite falling.

VT is only 2-6 at home in conference play but has defeated four of the six teams below it in the ACC standings, losing to Boston College and not yet facing SU.

How Syracuse beats Virginia Tech

The Orange win this game and shoot up in the ACC standings by playing an inside-out game. Lampkin and Davis proved against NC State they could take over a game against middling conference foes. Lampkin has been especially prolific of late, averaging 16.6 points and 12.6 rebounds per game over his last five games.

The Hokies, while strong defensively, rank 13th in the conference in rebounds at 33.8 per game — four less than SU’s total. A plus-24 points in the paint total against the Wolfpack set into motion a commanding win. It could do the same in Blacksburg.

Stat to know: -2.5

Virginia Tech ranks 320th in the country with a -2.5 turnover margin. VT has turned the ball over 367 times compared to forcing just 298. The only ACC team ranking worse than the Hokies is Syracuse, making for an intriguing matchup between teams who struggle to handle the ball and make a defensive impact.

The Hokies also rank 350th of 364 teams in non-steal turnover percentage, according to KenPom. The stat calculates all turnovers that are based on travel or three-second violations, offensive fouls or unforced errors.

Player to watch: Tobi Lawal, forward, No. 1

While the Hokies don’t possess any potent scorers, Lawal is unequivocally their catalyst. Through 28 games, the London, England native is the only VT player in double digits, averaging 12.5 points per game.

Lawal’s seen a slight increase in points per game each year of his college career, progressing from 1.3 to 7.7 points per game in his two years at VCU to his totals now. The 6-foot-8 forward has a 49.5-inch vertical, according to hokiesports.com, leading to a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game.

Published on February 28, 2025 at 3:16 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky