Check out our free Syracuse vs Virginia Tech pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Blacksburg. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Syracuse vs Virginia Tech Pick & Preview: Saturday, January 28th Betting Odds

Orange vs Hokies Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Syracuse Orange at Virginia Tech Hokies
  • Where: Blacksburg at Cassell Coliseum
  • Date: Saturday, January 28th
  • Betting Odds: Syracuse +6, SYRA +215 | VTECH -272 O/U 141.0

Orange Preview:

Syracuse will take the floor against the Hokies with an overall record of 13-8. So far, the Orange have played 7 games on the road, with a record of 3-4. For the season, Syracuse has been the underdog in 7 games, sitting with a mark of 2-5. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Orange being +6 point underdogs.

Syracuse will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Joseph Girard III who is averaging 17.48 points per game for the Orange. III is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Orange’s offensive game plan is the play of Judah Mintz who has hit 43.1% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 14.95 points per game.

So far this season, Syracuse has put together a strong scoring offense at 77.4 points per game (48th). This strong figure has come despite the Orange playing at a slow tempo compared to other schools. For the season, they have hit 37.7% of their shots from outside, which is closer to the NCAA average. Syracuse’s overall field goal percentage currently sits at 45.0%

Hokies Preview:

Heading into today’s matchup vs Syracuse, the Virginia Tech Hokies will be taking the floor for the 21st time this season and have an overall record of 12-8. Currently, the Hokies have been the home team 14 times, sitting with a record of 12-2. The Hokies’ are sitting with a betting line that is -6 points in their favor. For the season, Virginia Tech has been favored to win in 18 games, sitting with a mark of 12-6.

Virginia Tech will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Sean Pedulla who is averaging 15.95 points per game for the Hokies. Pedulla is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Hokies’ offensive game plan is the play of Grant Basile who has hit 50.2% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 14.3 points per game.

Virginia Tech comes into their matchup vs Syracuse looking to improve their offensive numbers, as they are just 215th in college basketball at 70.7 points per game. One bright spot for them has been their ability to knock down 3-point shots, as they have connected at a rate of 39.3%. So far, 41.43% of the Hokies’ shots have been from beyond the arc. When looking at the team’s pace of play, they are currently a below average unit at 62.1 possessions per game.

Free Spread Prediction: Syracuse Orange +6

A key to this matchup, will be 3-point shooting. Coming into the game, both Virginia Tech and Syracuse are excellent 3-point shooting teams, averaing 9.0 and 9.09 made 3’s per game, respectively. In terms of the odds, we like the Syracuse Orange to cover as +6 point dogs. Look for their defense to do a good enough job closing out on the Hokies’ outside shooters to make things difficult for Virginia Tech. At +6 we like the chances of Syracuse covering the spread as underdogs.