Virginia Tech Hokies vs Syracuse Orange Prediction, 1/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Virginia Tech Hokies vs Syracuse Orange

Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Location: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY

TV: ACC Network

JMA Wireless Dome is where the Syracuse Orange (12-6) will compete against the Virginia Tech Hokies (14-5) on Wednesday.

The Virginia Tech Hokies played Notre Dame and walked away with a win by a score of 89-76 in their last contest. Virginia Tech finished the contest having earned a 50.9% field goal percentage (27 out of 53) and converted 7 out of their 20 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Hokies buried 28 of 32 tries for a percentage of 87.5%. In the matter of grabbing boards, they earned a total of 29 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 12 assists in this contest while forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and having 6 steals. With respect to the defense, Virginia Tech let their opponent shoot 44.3% from the floor on 27 out of 61 shooting. Notre Dame dished out 11 assists and had 5 steals in this contest. In addition, Notre Dame grabbed 26 boards (10 offensive, 16 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Notre Dame finished the game at 76.2% from the charity stripe by knocking down 16 of their 21 tries. They converted 6 of their 24 attempts from downtown. With respect to fouls, the Hokies ended up finishing with 17 while Notre Dame had 20 fouls.

Toibu Lawal is someone who was a major factor in this contest. He ended up walking away with 22 points on 4 out of 6 shooting. He played for 29 minutes and also snagged 11 rebounds. He went 66.7% from the floor but had no assists at the end of the game.

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Virginia Tech enters this matchup with a record of 14-5 so far this year. They currently have an average of 82.3 pts per contest (80th in the country) while shooting 45.8% from the floor. The Hokies are connecting on 34.6% on shots from distance (157 of 454) and 72.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, Virginia Tech is pulling down 36.6 rebounds per contest and has earned 280 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 123rd in college in terms of passing the ball. They turn the ball over 10.3 times per game and as a team are committing 17.3 fouls per contest.

On defense, the Hokies are able to force 13.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.3 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 172nd in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 243 conceded for the season. The Hokies defense is allowing a FG percentage of 43.0% (510 of 1,185) and they relinquish 36.1 rebounds per game as a team. They give up 28.8% on three-point shots while they are 195th in college in PPG allowed (74.1).

The last time they took the court, the Syracuse Orange walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 81-73 when they played Boston College. The Orange pulled down 31 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards for a total of 37 in this matchup. They also turned it over 17 times, while getting 4 steals for this game. Boston College had 20 personal fouls for the contest which took the Orange to the free throw line for a total of 22 tries. They were able to make 14 of those for a clip of 63.6%. In relation to three-point attempts, Syracuse converted 7 of their 18 tries (38.9%). At the conclusion of this game, the Orange shot 26 out of 59 from the floor which had them at 44.1%. The Orange allowed Boston College to convert 26 of 63 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 41.3% for the game. They went 40.0% from 3-point land by shooting 8 of 20 and walked away from this one shooting 21 of 29 at the charity stripe (72.4%). Concerning team rebounding, Syracuse allowed Boston College to collect 35 in total (9 offensive).

Nate Kingz ended up being important for the Orange in this matchup. He earned 27 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and added 3 assists for the game. He made 8 out of 12 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and had 6 rebounds.

Syracuse has a record of 12-6 so far this season. In terms of offensive execution, the Orange are shooting 47.3% from the floor, which ranks 84th in college hoops. Syracuse has 1,363 pts this season (75.7 per game) and they pull down 36.1 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 13.4 times per game (245th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.8 times per contest. The Orange have committed 16.0 fouls per contest and they hit 62.8% from the free throw line.

The Orange on the defensive side of the court are 47th in college in PPG given up with 67.7. They are forcing 13.5 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 40.3% from the floor (41st in D-1). The Syracuse defense gives up 31.6% on 3-pointers (116 of 367) and their opposition knocks down 71.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 12.5 dimes and 36.2 rebounds per game, ranking them 109th and 275th in D-1.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Syracuse

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