Syracuse @ Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 6, 2019 ) Virginia 48, Syracuse 34

No. 18 Virginia coach Tony Bennett wasn't pleased with his team's effort in their most recent loss Tuesday at Boston College. Venerable Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim certainly realizes his team can only do better versus the visiting Cavaliers on Saturday than it did against them in the season opener.

Virginia limited Virginia Tech to 39 points last Saturday but surrendered 60 in a seven-point loss to Tuesday in a game that was tied heading into the final 45 seconds. "We're a team that, if we're not ready and we're not right, we're not good enough to be sloppy in (terms of) readiness, alertness, hustle plays," Bennett said afterwards. "We can't absorb not being at a high level of readiness." Boeheim's crew has dropped two straight, but none of the seven losses was as embarrassing as the first. The Orange shot 23.6 percent from the floor in the season opener, absorbing a 48-34 defeat at Virginia - their fewest points under Boeheim, who took over in 1976, and the fewest since a 49-31 loss to Temple in 1945.

TIME: 4 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT SYRACUSE (8-7, 1-3 ACC): Junior Elijah Hughes scored 18 points, freshmen Joseph Girard III and Quincy Guerrier finished with 12 each in the Orange's 67-63 loss to Virginia Tech on Tuesday. Hughes does it all for the Orange, ranking first in scoring (19.6 points - second in the ACC), second in 3-point accuracy (40.9 percent), fourth in rebounding (4.8), first in assists (4.5 - eighth in the ACC), tied for second in blocks (0.9) and fifth in steals (0.9). Buddy Boeheim (15.3 points, 40.7 percent from long-range), leads the ACC with 55 made 3-pointers and Hughes is second (47).

ABOUT VIRGINIA (11-3, 3-1): Braxton Key (10.8 points, 7.4 rebounds) had 16 points and eight boards, Kihei Clark (9.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists) chipped in 12 points and sophomore Kody Stattmann (5.9 points) added a career-best 11 points in the loss to the Eagles. Virginia tied a season low by shooting 32.7 percent from the field and was just 3-of-16 from 3-point range. In the season-opening win over Syracuse, Clark tallied 10 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while 7-1 junior center Jay Huff added 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for his first career double-double.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Virginia is 8-5 all-time against Syracuse, including a 7-1 mark in ACC action. The Cavaliers own a four-game winning streak in the series and are 3-1 against the Orange at John Paul Jones Arena.

2. Key injured his wrist late in the loss to Boston College, but Bennett expects Key to play Saturday.

3. The Cavaliers have held the Orange to 68 or fewer points in each of the last nine meetings.

PREDICTION: Virginia 59, Syracuse 51