Syracuse men’s basketball shut down by No. 18 Virginia in 72-59 loss.

Offense was hard to come by in Syracuse men’s basketball’s (13-11, 4-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) 72-59 loss to No.18 Virginia (20-3, 9-2 ACC). While the Orange shot almost 50% from the field, they took 12 fewer shots than the Cavaliers.

“We knew this game was going to come down to rebounds,” SU head coach Adrian Autry said. “Virginia is a really good offensive rebounding team, and they came up with more possessions.”

UVA collected 17 offensive rebounds, 11 more than SU. The Cavaliers capitalized for 17 second-chance points, 10 more than the Orange.

“They were more physical than I thought we saw on film,” Autry said. “I was impressed with their physicality, especially on the perimeter, but mostly with their strength.”

Another big issue? The ‘Cuse got no help from its bench. SU had just seven points from its reserves, while UVA had 29.

But was that because of a lack of production, or a lack of opportunity? Only four players made it off the bench for a combined 35 minutes. Syracuse forward Tyler Betsy had the most with 16 minutes off the bench, but no one else climbed above ten.

Most notably, Orange guard Kiyan Anthony did not play. But why, coach?

“No injury concerns,” Autry said. “It was just my decision. This is a physical, experienced team, it was just my decision. There were no narratives or any stuff of that kind, just a coach’s decision.

Cuse.com

The freshman has averaged just six points a game in ACC play. So will he play in Syracuse’s next game against California? Find out on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. with WAER’s coverage beginning with McClurg Remodeling to Tipoff at 6:30.