One last ride in the Dome.
After winning its past two games, Syracuse men’s basketball (18-10, 9-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) hosts Virginia Tech (15-12, 7-9 ACC) on Tuesday in its final home game for the season.
SU has now won two straight games after its recent 88-85 victory over Notre Dame on Saturday. However, it wasn’t a close battle all game long. In the first half against the Fighting Irish, the Orange held a 29-point lead with two minutes left to go.
“In the second half, naturally teams make a run,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry explained. “But I thought a lot of it was on us. Especially this game right here, we couldn’t slow them down”.
On Jim Boeheim Day, @Cuse_MBB snuck by @NDmbb 88-85 despite a 56-point second half by the Irish.@francescosim16 and @JackGordonJG had the call for the Orange's second straight win. pic.twitter.com/5IerLFID1l
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) February 24, 2024
Autry made sure to specify which game he was talking about because this isn’t the first time SU narrowly avoided a second-half collapse. It's the second time in a row. In its game against NC State last Tuesday, Syracuse once held a 16-point lead in the second half. The Orange ended up winning 87-83.
“I’m happy that we gutted out another win, even with the big lead,” said Coach Autry on the Notre Dame win. “I thought this first half was just as good as the N.C. State first half. Offensively, it can’t get any better than how we did in those two halves.
In these wins, one player has stood out for the Orange. Sophomore Chris Bell is averaging 22 points and six threes per game over the past two contests. And he’s not just chucking up shots. The forward shoots 80% from beyond the arc in the victories.
“Chris [Bell] is playing at a high level,” said Autry. “We need Chris’ contributions all day long."
SU forward Chris Bell is automatic. The sophomore started the game 6-for-6 from deep@CharlieBenAmi described the moment the sophomore hit his sixth consecutive triple.
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) February 21, 2024
🎙️https://t.co/BG0Q3sGq3P, @waer883 pic.twitter.com/BUQVQhzttL
Bell and the rest of the SU squad might find it tough shooting from downtown against Virginia Tech. The Hokies allow only 6.6 made threes a game, second least in the ACC. However, while Syracuse is starting to heat up with two straight wins, Virginia Tech comes off a 79-64 road loss at the hands of Pittsburgh.
In its last game these schools played, the Hokies enjoyed a comfortable 85-70 home win against the Orange. Recent graduate Grant Basile led Virginia Tech with 25 points. Current Senior Hunter Cattoor also had 20 points in the victory.
Syracuse welcomes Virginia Tech to the JMA Wireless Dome for its last home game at 7 p.m. WAER’s coverage begins at 6:30 with our McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff.