Syracuse (15-8, 5-5 Atlantic Coast) hosts Virginia Tech (12-10, 4-5) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The Orange last played on Saturday and took down Georgia Tech by three points. SU has won five of its last six contests.

Here’s how beat writers Sam Blum, Jesse Dougherty and Matt Schneidman forecast the game.

Sam Blum (16-7)
Syracuse 75, Virginia Tech 74
Hokie Dokie

Virginia Tech always makes it a fun game against Syracuse it seems, but for the past seven meetings, Syracuse has come out on top. Both will happen again on Tuesday, in a too-close-for-comfort win over Virginia Tech. The Orange needs to slow down Virginia Tech on offense and make sure they don’t get to the line too much, which is a big strength of the VT offense. At the end of the day, though, SU will by 6-5 in ACC play with everything looking up as it heads into the final month of the regular season.

Jesse Dougherty (16-7)
Syracuse 62, Virginia Tech 59
Technical healing

The key for Syracuse will keeping Virginia Tech off the foul line down the stretch, as the Hokies are one of the best in the country at drawing shooting fouls. If the Orange can do that, it can squeak out an ugly win over Virginia Tech just two days after squeaking out an ugly win over Georgia Tech. But ugly wins aside, if SU can go 3-0 while playing three games in six days it will be an outstanding accomplishment at this point of the season. Look for Michael Gbinije to carry his team to doing just that.

Matt Schneidman (16-7)
Syracuse 80, Virginia Tech 67
Above ground

Virginia Tech is the worst defensive team in conference, allowing an alarming 80.6 points per game in ACC play. The Hokies also surrender almost 39 rebounds per game which ranks worst in the league as well. The Orange’s rebounding has vastly improved in conference play and SU could have an offensive outburst a la Wake Forest. Look for a heavy dose of early 3s and a fast-paced attack to distance Syracuse from VT early on, pushing the Orange above .500 in the ACC for the first time.

Published on February 2, 2016 at 12:22 am