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On Jan. 26, Syracuse captured its second Atlantic Coast Conference win of the year with a 67-55 victory over Clemson. And with a week before their next game versus Virginia, the Orange had ample time to prepare for the Cavaliers.

But on Sunday, they flopped. SU led by as much as 14 in the third quarter, but UVA stormed back to hand Syracuse a narrow 70-67 loss. This pushed it further down the ACC standings, as SU currently sits half a game above SMU for the 15th and final ACC Tournament spot.

On Thursday, it won’t get any easier for the Orange. If they want to maintain their position in the standings, they’ll have to conquer a strong Virginia Tech team on the road. The Hokies are in the middle of the ACC but boast a starting lineup with four players averaging double figures.

Here’s everything to know about Virginia Tech (15-7, 6-5 ACC) before it hosts Syracuse (8-13, 2-8 ACC) Thursday:

All time series

Virginia Tech leads 10-8.

Last time they played …

On Jan. 28, 2024, then-No. 22 Syracuse carried a six-game win streak into a home matchup with then-No. 19 Virginia Tech. But the Hokies wouldn’t go down easily. Despite the Orange holding VT’s best player, Elizabeth Kitley, to just six points on 3-of-13 shooting, Virginia Tech handily beat them 75-62.

VT started out hot via a 23-9 first-quarter advantage. Although SU closed the gap down the stretch, its 5-of-20 fourth-quarter shooting allowed the Hokies to never surrender their lead. VT’s Georgia Amoore poured in a game-high 29 points. Her three triples were also part of Virginia Tech’s 12-for-29 clip from distance, far better than Syracuse’s 22.7% rate.

The Hokies report

Last season, the Hokies were one of the best teams in the country. They finished the regular season 23-6 and secured the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. However, Virginia Tech fell to the eventual ACC champions Notre Dame in the tournament semifinals and in the NCAA Tournament Second Round to No. 5 seed Baylor.

After the loss, VT’s two leading scorers — Kitley (22.8 points per game) and Amoore (18.8 points per game) — both left the program. But the Hokies have rebounded well this campaign. They’ve started the year 15-7 and have all but replaced Kitley and Amoore’s production. Four of Virginia Tech’s starters are scoring in double figures, led by Carleigh Wenzel’s 14.2 points per game and Rose Micheaux’s 12.3.

As a whole, the Hokies are effective on offense, ranking 30th nationally with a 46.1% field goal percentage and 28th with a 35.7% clip from 3, per HerHoopStats. On the boards, though, VT is subpar. It places 296th of 362 Division I teams with just 9.5 offensive rebounds per game and just 35.1 total boards on average.

How Syracuse beats Virginia Tech

Based on SU’s struggles against the ACC’s best teams, going 0-5 against the top eight squads thus far, it’s highly likely VT will run away with this game. Though if Syracuse holds a lead in the second half, it needs to keep its foot on the gas. Second-half collapses plagued the Orange in two of their last three games versus NC State and Virginia. That can’t happen again if SU wants to win.

In addition, Sophie Burrows must stay hot. The sophomore has scored at least 15 points in four of SU’s last five contests, including a career-high 22 versus the Cavaliers. If she can continue to be a scoring threat alongside Georgia Woolley, it’ll open up Syracuse’s offense. If not, the Orange will be in for another long game.

Sophie Burrows dribbles past NC State’s Madison Hayes in SU’s 74-66 loss to the Wolfpack. Burrows scored 16 points versus NC State as well as 22 against Virginia on Sunday. Angelina Grevi | Staff Photographer

Stat to Know: 6

This season, SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack has toyed with her lineups constantly. She’s started 12 different players, with everyone but Lexi McNabb recording a start. The third-year head coach has also used her bench often, with eight to 10 players usually logging quality minutes each game.

But against Virginia, only six players saw more than three minutes of playing time. Syracuse’s starters of Burrows, Woolley, Kyra Wood, Izabel Varejão and Dominique Camp all played at least 34 minutes and scored eight points or more. Freshman Madeline Potts was the only other player to see solid playing time, totaling 15 minutes after a career-high 13 points versus Clemson.

Player to watch: Rose Micheaux, forward, No. 4

Micheaux has stepped up without Kitley or Amoore in the mix this season. After transferring in from Minnesota last year, she mostly rode the bench, averaging only 4.1 points per game despite posting a career-high 13.8 a season prior.

But in 2024-25, the Wayne, Michigan, native has been one of Virginia Tech’s best players. She’s started every game, totaling a second-best 12.3 points per contest on 57.3% shooting. The senior’s also been VT’s most effective player on the glass, snagging a team-leading 8.2 rebounds, which ranks seventh in the ACC.

Published on February 5, 2025 at 10:33 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99