Tech, Syracuse to meet in important ACC clashTech, Syracuse to meet in important ACC clash
Men's Basketball

Tech, Syracuse to meet in important ACC clash

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BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech welcomes Syracuse to Cassell Coliseum on Saturday evening, as both teams will put their four-game win streaks on the line in an ACC contest with postseason implications.
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Saturday, February 12 | 6:00 p.m. ET
Cassell Coliseum (Blacksburg, Va.)
vs. Syracuse
Series: Syracuse leads 11-5
Game Notes: Virginia Tech (PDF) | Syracuse

TV Broadcast
ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Mike Monaco
Analyst: Randolph Childress

Local Radio
Virginia Tech Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Tim Bickford
Analyst: Mike Burnop

#LOVE: OUR BLACK COMMUNITY

  • In conjunction with Black History Month and in collaboration with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Virginia Tech will be recognizing its #LOVE: Our Black Community initiative at Saturday's game.
  • The initiative will be a month-long celebration in February as we reflect on the history, contributions, culture and accomplishments of Black Americans who have enriched communities, organizations and entire industries.
  • Make sure to check out the Experience Black Love: Illuminated projection on the Washington Street side of Cassell Coliseum before entering the arena.
  • Jerry Gaines, Virginia Tech's first black scholarship athlete, will be recognized during the first half of Saturday's game. Gaines, the first black student-athlete inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, was the inaugural male ACC UNITE Award recipient for Virginia Tech in 2021.


ALUMA, MUTTS TO BE RECOGNIZED PREGAME

  • Keve Aluma and Justyn Mutts will be recognized prior to tipoff for reaching 1,000 career points. They accomplished the feat on Feb. 2 vs. Georgia Tech.


THE SERIES

  • Virginia Tech trails 11-5 in the all-time series against Syracuse.
  • The Hokies have split the last six games with the Orange, including a pair of wins in Blacksburg.
  • The first game of the series was played on Feb. 28, 1976 in Syracuse - a 92-81 win by the Hokies.
  • Tech is 3-3 against the Orange at home, but lost the last meeting inside Cassell, 71-69, on Jan. 18, 2020.
  • Jim Boeheim has been Syracuse's head coach in all but one game in the Virginia Tech series - missing the first one. 


A WIN WOULD...

  • Mark the Hokies fifth straight ACC win and their longest winning streak since opening the season 5-0. It would be the longest winning streak in ACC play since Tech won five in a row to end the 2015-16 regular season.
  • Be Coach Young's second win over the Orange as head coach of the Hokies (1-2).
  • Snap Syracuse's four-game unbeaten streak, which would give Tech the longest active streak in the ACC at five games.
  • Move the Hokies to 4-0 in February. The last time they opened February 4-0 was in the 2009-10 season. That season, Tech won its first five games of the month. 


HOKIE HEADLINES

  • The Hokies have shot at least 50 percent in five straight games for the first time since moving to the ACC in 2004-05.
  • Tech is shooting 42.1 percent from three this season, which is on pace to break the school record of 40.3 set in the 2016-17 season.
  • The Hokies (9.4) and the Orange (8.9) rank first and second, respectively, in 3-pointers made per game among ACC programs.
  • Saturday's game vs. Syracuse is the second of four straight home games for the Hokies.


FIRST-HALF FRENZY

  • Tech has led at halftime in each of the four games in its current win streak, including by double digits in its last three.
  • On Monday night, the Hokies had seven players score in the first half, including four from deep.
  • Pitt only scored 17 points in the first half, with 12 coming from Mouhamadou Gueye. That is the lowest tally of a Tech opponent in the first half all season.
  • Keve Aluma ended the first half on a solo 7-0 run in the last 1:26, including a 3-pointer as time expired.
  • The Hokies are shooting a remarkable 59.6 percent from the field and 61.4 percent from beyond the arc in the first half across the last four games.
  • Tech connected on 18 of 24 field goals (75 percent) in the first half at Pitt. It was the Hokies' highest field-goal percentage in one half against an ACC opponent in program history. At one point, Tech connected on 13 straight field goals.