Virginia vs Syracuse prediction, pick, college basketball odds
03/08/2025 11:16 AM
It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Virginia-Syracuse prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Virginia-Syracuse.
This is a game between two ACC teams which used to be at the top of the sport and are now wallowing in mediocrity. Syracuse and Virginia met in the Elite Eight in 2016, with the Orange stunning the Cavaliers in the second half. Syracuse went to the Final Four. Virginia remained an elite program for several more seasons and won the national championship in 2019. It is jarring to stop and consider how far these two schools have fallen off the map. They are completely irrelevant right now, and what makes the sting of mediocrity even more painful at both schools is that the ACC isn’t even good this year. If these teams were getting beaten by really good opponents, it would be one thing, but the ACC is actually having one of its worst basketball seasons ever. The conference might get only three teams into the 2025 NCAA Tournament. That’s why Virginia is going to change coaches and Syracuse, if it is smart, will think about a coaching change.
Syracuse coach Adrian Autry is just not hitting the mark as a head coach. This is not what Syracuse envisioned in the post-Jim Boeheim era. Was it always going to be easy for Boeheim’s successor to do well? No, but even then, the standard at Syracuse basketball should never fall to this low a depth. Autry just doesn’t show much coaching acumen. Syracuse doees not hold strong in second halves of games when it has a lead, a perfect example being the loss to SMU earlier this week. Should Syracuse think Autry is worth a third season? Strong candidates are out there if the Orange want to make a change and revive their program. It will be fascinating to see how SU handles the near-term future.
Here are the Virginia-Syracuse College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Virginia-Syracuse Odds
Virginia: +1.5 (-118)
Moneyline: -105
Syracuse: -1.5 (-104)
Moneyline: -114
Over: 136.5 (-110)
Under: 136.5 (-110)
How to Watch Virginia vs Syracuse
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
TV: ACC Network
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Virginia Will Cover The Spread/Win
Why is Syracuse favored in this game? The Orange have been dreadful this season and inspire absolutely zero confidence. Coming close is not the same thing as actually winning, and in a game where the markets have it priced as something very close to a pick ’em, riding with Syracuse seems like the utterly wrong choice to make. Virginia is not a good team and we won’t pretend the Hoos are actually good — they’re not — but they have shown a measure of growth in the past month. They played a lot better in February than they did in January and show at least some inclination that they will develop into a better team in the remainder of the season, unlike Syracuse.
Why Syracuse Will Cover The Spread/Win
Syracuse is hosting a Virginia team which lacks talent and cannot score consistently. The reality of Virginia basketball is that interim head coach Ron Sanchez was placed in an impossible situation by Tony Bennett’s late retirement just before the season began. That did not set up Sanchez to succeed. This situation could have been handled better, and Virginia has remained adrift this season in part because it wasn’t able to hire a permanent replacement for Bennett. That permanent replacement will be installed in the coming weeks. Syracuse should benefit from Virginia’s lack of organization.
Final Virginia-Syracuse Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Virginia, but we don’t trust the Cavaliers because of their inconsistency this season in an ACC which has been hard to bet on from week to week. You should pass on this one.
Final Virginia-Syracuse Prediction & Pick: Virginia moneyline
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