NCAA MARCH MADNESS: No. 3 West Virginia vs. No. 11 Syracuse — Preview, pre-game updates, how to watch, betting odds, and more

Join us in the comments to talk about how much we hate the Orange and how Dinosaur BBQ is actually bad as the Mountaineers take on the former Big East foe

By Michael Miller@michaelmillerWV Mar 20, 2021, 10:50pm EDT

WHEN/WHERE

Date: Sunday, March 11, 2021

Tip-Off Time: 5:15 PM ET

Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-Rutgers at Clemson

WATCH/LISTEN

Channel: CBS

Announce Team: Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery and Tracy Wolfson

Online Streaming: If you aren’t in front of a television or just don’t have a television, the NCAA Tournament is the gift that keeps on giving with March Madness Live. This live stream will air every single game from the First Four to the National Championship Game, free of charge.

Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG (Online Stream | Radio Affiliates)

Radio Announcers: Tony Caridi and Jay Jacobs

Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

LISTEN LIVE

ODDS

Spread: West Virginia -2.5
O/U: 147.5

THE ENEMY

Where are they from? Syracuse, New York

Series History: Former members of the Big East from 1995-2012, Syracuse holds a 34-16 advantage against West Virginia. The last meeting took place on Jan. 28, 2012, a 63-61 Syracuse victory at the Carrier Dome. Bob Huggins is 1-5 against Syracuse. All of those meetings have been while he was at West Virginia.

Record: 17-9 (9-7 ACC)

Record in 2019-20: 18-14 (10-10 ACC)

Head Coach: Jim Boeheim (45th Season)

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP

West Virginia Mountaineers: Jalen Bridges, Derek Culver, Jordan McCabe, Taz Sherman, and Miles McBride

Syracuse Orange: Quincy Guerrier, Merek Dolezaj, Alan Griffin, Joseph Girard III, and Buddy Boeheim

PREDICTION THAT WILL BE WRONG

A win here will advance West Virginia to the Sweet Sixteen for the 9th time in their last 13 NCAA Tournament appearances. Surely that combination of numbers isn’t a harbinger of impending doom, and surely that pesky 1-5 record that Bob Huggins holds against Syracuse while at WVU won’t have any bearing on the outcome of this game.

West Virginia slips past the Orange in a hard-fought, old Big East style grind. Deuce McBride proves to be the difference maker, and the Mountaineers continue on their path to destiny.

West Virginia 79 , Syracuse 72

PREGAME READING & UPDATES

We’ll update this section with any important information directly related to the game but until then, follow along with us on Twitter @smokingmusket for running commentary.

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