Virginia Tech looks to sweep Syracuse
Syracuse (10-7, 3-3) vs. Virginia Tech (13-4, 4-2)
Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Virginia; Saturday, 12 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Virginia Tech goes for the season sweep over Syracuse after winning the previous matchup in Syracuse. The teams last met on Jan. 7, when the Hokies shot 42 percent from the field en route to a four-point victory.
STEPPING UP: Virginia Tech’s Landers Nolley II has averaged 18.1 points and 5.6 rebounds while Tyrece Radford has put up 9.2 points and 6.5 rebounds. For the Orange, Elijah Hughes has averaged 19.5 points, five rebounds and 4.4 assists while Buddy Boeheim has put up 15.6 points.
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS: The Orange have given up only 61.8 points per game across six conference games, an improvement from the 67 per game they gave up in non-conference play.
CREATING OFFENSE: Hughes has accounted for 44 percent of all Syracuse field goals over the last five games. The senior forward has 33 field goals and 23 assists in those games.
UNBEATEN WHEN: The Hokies are 13-0 when holding opponents to 43.4 percent or worse from the field, and 0-4 when opponents shoot better than that. The Orange are 5-0 when converting on at least 77.8 percent of its free throws and 5-7 when they shoot worse than that from the line.
STREAK STATS: Virginia Tech has won its last five home games, scoring an average of 72.8 points while giving up 50.8.
DID YOU KNOW: Virginia Tech has committed a turnover on just 14.6 percent of its possessions this season, which is the third-lowest rate among all Division I teams. The Hokies have turned the ball over only 9.6 times per game this season.
