No. 8 Syracuse (16-8, 9-7 ACC) vs No. 1 Virginia (17-6, 13-4 ACC)

Noon, ESPN

The Cavaliers open up ACC Tournament play tomorrow afternoon when they take on Syracuse at Greensboro Coliseum. Thursday’s quarterfinal will be UVa’s first postseason contest since beating Texas Tech in the National Championship on April 8th, 2019. It will also be the first ACC Tournament contest between UVa and Syracuse since the Orange joined the league in the 2013-2014 season in what will be the first postseason meeting between the two since that ill-fated Elite Eight matchup in Chicago nearly five years ago.

While UVa awaited its first game in Greensboro, Syracuse advanced to the quarterfinals with a blowout win over No. 9-seed NC State on Wednesday afternoon. Syracuse led by five at halftime before extending the advantage and rolling past the Wolfpack for an 89-68 win. That victory put the Orange squarely on the bubble, with a win over UVa on Thursday likely enough to secure a bid heading into Selection Sunday.

UVa and Syracuse met once in the regular season in a contest dominated by the Hoos. UVa rolled to an 81-58 win over the Orange at JPJ in late January by shooting its way over and around the 2-3 zone. The home win was the last of their season-long seven-game winning streak and was one of the best performances of the entire season for the Hoos.

After an impressive win on Wednesday, Syracuse leapt from No. 53 in the KenPom rankings to 44th just hours later. The Orange were red hot from beyond the arc for most of the game, going 14-for-29 on 3-point tries. At one point late in the second half, they were 7-for-8 from deep and their hot outside shooting was a big reason for the distance they were able to put between themselves and State down the stretch. Syracuse did a nice job around the rim as well, making 20 of 31 two-point tries, and shared the ball well, with 19 assists on 34 field goals made.

For the season, Syracuse ranks 23rd nationally in offensive efficiency and 86th on the defensive end. The Orange do a great job taking care of the basketball on offense but their shooting hasn’t always been as excellent as it was in Wednesday’s win. They have made 33.7 percent of their 3-point attempts for the season and were just 18-for-59 from deep in their final two games of the regular season, both wins.

On defense, Syracuse does a great job creating blocks and steals, but its 2-3 zone makes the Orange susceptible to allowing offensive rebounds, and subsequently, second-chance points.

In January’s meeting, UVa forced the Orange into a bunch of bad shots and conversely made a lot of open shots through good ball movement against the zone. Syracuse hit just 17 of 35 twos and just five of 23 from deep, as the Orange scored just 0.83 points per possession. On the other end, UVa made 14 of 31 3-point attempts, and recorded 23 assists on 29 made baskets. UVa also out-rebounded Syracuse 41-28 in the lopsided win.

Thursday’s matchup could become a shooting contest between UVa’s Sam Hauser and Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim. Hauser, who was named First Team All-ACC on Monday, torched the Orange in the first meeting. He got a lot of good looks against the zone and scored 21 points, all on 3s. Hauser went 7-for-13 from deep, making more 3s than the entire Syracuse team did that night. The senior forward is also coming into Thursday’s game off of one of his best performances of the year, scoring a game-high 24 points in the win at Louisville in the regular-season finale.

Boeheim, meanwhile, will enter this quarterfinal coming off of a big performance of his own. The coach’s son set the pace for the Orange against NC State, scoring 27 points and dishing out five assists. Boeheim came up just one short of a career high, going four-for-four on two-pointers and 6-for-12 from beyond the arc. Boeheim is the team’s leading scorer at 16 points per game, and when his shot is falling he can be one of the toughest players in the ACC to slow down.

He has plenty of help as well, with four players on the Syracuse roster averaging double-figure points per game. Transfer forward Alan Griffin is Boeheim’s running mate, scoring 15.3 points per contest and making 37.6 percent of his 3-point tries. Griffin finished with 12 points in Wednesday’s win and had 13 points in 36 minutes against Virginia in the regular-season meeting. Wing Quincy Guerrier is another capable scorer, contributing 14.5 points per contest. Guerrier was named an All-ACC performer for his efforts and is the team’s leading rebounder at 8.9 boards per game. In the backcourt, guard Joe Girard is a player to watch. Girard is a streaky outside shooter who can get hot at any time. Finally, forward Marek Dolezaj has developed into a capable scorer through his Syracuse career, and averages 10.2 points per game this season.