Virginia (-6) at Syracuse, 7 p.m.
The Pick: Virginia (-6)
There’s only one game Monday night in the ACC, so let’s take a look at it.
Virginia (26-2) is playing for a No. 1 seed in the Tournament and a shot at the No. 1 overall seed (although that didn’t work out very well a year ago). The Cavs, outside of their two losses to Duke, have been the country’s most consistent team this season. If they play and beat Duke in the ACC Tournament, the No. 1, No. 1 is probably theirs.
First things first they have to continue to play well and not stumble on the road at the Carrier Dome where Syracuse (19-10) is 13-5 this season, but just 10-8 against the spread.
The Orange has been as inconsistent and confusing as any team in the nation this season. When they are good they can beat Duke (95-91) or blow out Louisville (69-49) and when they’re bad they can lose to Georgia Tech, or get blown out by North Carolina State (73-58) or Virginia Tech (78-56). They are 3-6 this season against teams ranked in the top 25.
We’re going to take a chance we see bad Syracuse Monday night and the Cavs defense can make that happen rather easily. Take Virginia and give the six points.