Teams: Syracuse Orange (22-13) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (29-7)
Day & Time: Sunday, March 27, 6:09 p.m. EST
Arena: United Center, Chicago, IL
Line: -8, Virginia
TV: TBS
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Reggie Miller, Lewis Johnson
Virginia Blog: Streaking The Lawn
Rivalry: 4-3, Virginia
Current Streak: 3, Virginia
First Time: The first meeting between the two schools took place in the 1984 NCAA Tournament. After dispatching VCU in the first round, the Orange couldn't get past the Hoos in the second, losing 63-55.
Last Time: After being delayed by a snow storm, the Orange finally traveled to Charlottesville and put up a good fight. They were able to come back from a 10-point deficit and tie the game in the second half but the Cavs were too much, winning 73-65.
Head Coaches: SU: Jim Boeheim (40th Year, 988-346), Virginia: Tony Bennett (7th Year, 165-71)
Last Year: Virginia had their best regular season in program history with a record of 28–2, but a couple late losses turned them into a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament. They ran into 7-seed Michigan State in the "third" round and ended up losing early.
This Year: The Cavaliers finished the season 30–4 overall and 16–2 in conference play, finishing in first place in the ACC for the second straight season. Once again they couldn't win the ACC Tournament but this time they had done enough to earn a 1-seed. They've been pretty solid in the NCAA Tournament so far as well and have to be considered a solid pick to make the championship game.
Last Game: The Hoos jumped out to a 14-point early and didn't look back, ultimately topping 4-seed Iowa State, 84-71.
"Fear Me, I've Killed Hundreds of Timelords": Malcolm Brogdon is pretty good. All he's done this year is average 18.4 PPG and win ACC Player of the Year. He scored 21 the first time around against the Orange.
If Syracuse Wins: #WeAreSoSorry
If Syracuse Loses: It'll sting but I suppose we'll eventually come to live with the tournament run as-is.