The Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team (21-4, 11-3) is back in action on Sunday afternoon in Charlottesville when they take on the Virginia Cavaliers (12-12, 4-9) following a great trip down in Miami.
With a recent 71-60 victory over the Hurricanes on the road, Syracuse is winning four games in a row and maintaining the momentum the school has been building toward the ACC Tournament. As the regular season draws to a close, another road victory would help the Orange maintain their credentials, which presently has them vying for a top-16 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia is currently five games below.500 in the ACC, although it has just defeated Wake Forest and Boston College back-to-back. This season, the Cavaliers are just 7-7 at home. Virginia had an overall record of 15-15 and an ACC record of 4-14 last year.
Fair’s statement: Dyaisha Fair scored a season-high 38 points against Virginia last season with to her exceptional efficiency (11/16 from the field, 8/11 from three, and 6/6 from free throws). Fair only scored 11 points against the Hurricanes on Thursday, a far cry from the explosive play she put on the court in recent weeks. Hopefully, Fair can rediscover her mojo against the Cavaliers, who allow the fifth-highest number of points to opponents in the ACC.
Rivalry on the boards: Syracuse and Virginia are two of the ACC’s top rebounding teams, particularly when it comes to offensive rebounds. Virginia is ranked second in both offensive and total rebounds per game, while Syracuse is ranked #1 in both. The depth of the Orange frontcourt has been able to consistently supply second-chance points as a means of scoring, especially when the three-ball isn’t dropping.
