Syracuse Orange vs Virginia Cavaliers Prediction, 12/2/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Syracuse Orange vs Virginia Cavaliers

Date: Saturday, December 2, 2023

Location: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA

TV: ESPN

The Syracuse Orange (5-2) are headed to John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday where they will go up against the Virginia Cavaliers (6-1).

The Syracuse Orange faced LSU and went home with a win by a final score of 80-57 in their last game. Syracuse walked away from the contest having earned a 39.7% field goal percentage (25 of 63) and converted 11 out of their 21 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Orange made 19 of 23 attempts for a percentage of 82.6%. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 40 with 15 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 16 assists in the game in addition to forcing the other team into 18 turnovers and getting 9 steals. In terms of defending, Syracuse allowed their opponent to shoot 39.3% from the floor on 24 of 61 shooting. LSU earned 8 dimes and had 9 steals in this contest. Furthermore, LSU snagged 33 rebounds (11 offensive, 22 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. LSU finished 70.0% at the free throw line by making 7 of their 10 tries. They also buried 2 of 22 attempts from 3-point land. When discussing fouls, the Orange ended up with 13 and LSU recorded 19 fouls.

Judah Mintz is one guy who was a major contributor for the game. He was able to score 33 points on 9 of 16 shooting. He saw the court for 37 minutes and also pulled down 5 boards. He went 56.3% from the floor and also totaled 4 dimes.

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Syracuse will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 5-2 on the year. They are turning it over 11.6 times per contest and as a unit they commit 14.0 fouls per contest. As a unit, Syracuse is pulling down 39.3 boards per game and is sitting with 96 dimes on the season, which ranks 166th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Orange are hitting 31.7% on three-point attempts (53 of 167) and 73.2% from the free throw line. They have an average of 78.4 pts per game (110th in the country) while shooting 43.8% from the floor.

Defensively, the Orange have forced 16.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.9 fouls. They surrender 29.3% on 3-point shots and they rank 153rd in D-1 in PPG allowed (69.4). The Orange defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 41.2% (184 of 447) and they surrender 40.6 rebounds per contest as a squad. They rank 223rd in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 91 surrendered on the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Virginia Cavaliers walked away with a victory by a final of 59-47 when they faced Texas A&M. The Cavaliers recorded 20 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive rebounds for a total of 23 in this contest. They also turned the ball over 8 times, while recording 8 steals for the contest. Texas A&M committed 12 personal fouls for the contest which took the Cavaliers to the free throw line for a total of 6 shots. They were able to bury 6 of those for a clip of 100.0%. In reference to 3-pointers, Virginia made 9 of 25 attempts (36.0%). When the game finished, the Cavaliers went 22 for 53 from the floor which had them shooting 41.5%. The Cavaliers allowed Texas A&M to make 17 of their 56 tries from the floor which had them shooting 30.4% in this game. They went 17.4% from distance by shooting 4 of 23 and walked away from this one shooting 9 of 12 from the free throw line (75.0%). In regard to cleaning the glass, Virginia permitted Texas A&M to get 36 in total (13 on the offensive glass).

Andrew Rohde ended up being a major contributor for the Cavaliers in this matchup. He tallied 13 points in his 37 mins of playing time and added 3 dimes in this matchup. He made 5 of 14 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 35.7%, and tallied 6 rebounds.

Virginia has a win-loss mark of 6-1 for the campaign. The Cavaliers have committed 13.6 fouls per contest and they go 68.2% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 14.1 times per game (139th in Division 1) and they turn it over 8.6 times per game. Virginia has scored 451 points so far this season (64.4 per game) and they grab 32.1 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Cavaliers are shooting 44.0% from the floor, which is ranked 209th in college basketball.

The Cavaliers defensively are ranked 3rd in college hoops in points given up per game with 52.9. They are able to force 14.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 34.6% from the field (4th in college basketball). The Virginia defense surrenders 27.2% on shots from behind the 3-point line (40 of 147) and their opponents are knocking down 71.7% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 10.6 dimes and 37.6 total boards per game, which is ranked 69th and 279th in college basketball.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Syracuse

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