Syracuse (14-9, 6-4 Atlantic Coast) faces No. 9 Virginia (17-4, 7-2) on Saturday in the Carrier Dome. The Orange has its chance to extend its winning streak to four straight.

Beat writers Connor Grossman, Matt Schneidman and Paul Schwedelson answer three questions surrounding the Orange.

1. What is working for Syracuse now that simply didn’t earlier in the season, and will it continue to work against Virginia?

Connor Grossman: Paul and Matt are about to touch on John Gillon’s improvement, so I’m going to focus on an issue that plagued the Orange early on. In Syracuse’s last three games (three wins), Tyler Lydon and Andrew White have played remarkably well together. The duo has combined for nearly 39 points per game in that span. What’s more, White seems to have found his placement in the zone, and Lydon’s individual defense is probably the best on the team. I think it’s fair to believe that Syracuse will go as far as Lydon and White takes it, and expect them to turn in similar performances against the Cavaliers.

Matt Schiedman: Syracuse is getting something out of the point guard spot, and it’s pretty obvious who it’s coming from. John Gillon has scored 64 points in the last two games, and it’s not like he’s chucking up shots whenever he gets the chance. His 43 points came on only 13 shots, and he’s been the driving force in Syracuse’s offense, especially late in games. In the final 2:59 against Florida State, Gillon scored SU’s final 13 points. In the last 6:29 of regulation at N.C. State, Gillon scored all of Syracuse’s 20 points. If this kind of play from the Orange’s fifth-year senior continues, don’t count out the NCAA Tournament just yet. Virginia has one of the best defenses in the country, but Gillon has already shown a knack to defy expectations.

Paul Schwedelson: Syracuse has gotten legitimate point guard play. Plain and simple. In the last two games, John Gillon has scored 64 points and dished out 20 assists. After Syracuse lost to North Carolina, Jim Boeheim said, “What’s the difference?” when asked to explain his decisions regarding juggling Gillon and Frank Howard. Since turning to Gillon as the primary point guard against Miami on Jan. 4, the Orange is 6-3 with two of those losses coming on the road against Top 25 teams. SU still has glaring holes on the defensive end and it can’t count on 43 from Gillon every game, but his recent emergence is why the Orange has gotten hot.

2. Will Syracuse be able to win going forward without superb play from just one or two players on any given night? 

C.G.: No team is going to win with one or two players performing. Here’s the breakdown for Syracuse: It really needs everyone to play good defense. When Boeheim talks about being unable to win with only three players, I’ll wager he’s talking about defense more than he is offense. White and Lydon are pretty safe bets to put up solid point totals, with freshmen Tyus Battle and Taurean Thompson both flashing impressive scoring ability. But defensively, SU has crumbled far too often this season. It played great defense in the first half against Florida State, and that snowballed into a huge upset. The Orange might be able to beat some teams with three players scoring, but it won’t go anywhere against good teams with only three reliable defenders.

M.S.: Unless someone is scoring in the 30s every game, I don’t think Syracuse pulls off wins against Virginia, Duke and Louisville to vault itself back into Tournament contention. If Gillon contributes half of what he did against the Wolfpack, Andrew White does what he’s been doing all season and Tyler Lydon plays like he did against UNC and Notre Dame, then we’re talking. This SU team has shown that it can’t survive being one-dimensional, but the spotty occurrences of balanced scoring need to show up more often, and there isn’t much time left for that to happen.

P.S.: As Jim Boeheim said after his team lost to Notre Dame, Syracuse can’t win with solid play from just three players on any given night. Somehow, SU seemingly has in its last three games but the performances it’s received have included career-highs from Andrew White and John Gillon. But in order to beat the cream of the ACC’s crop — Virginia, Duke and twice against Louisville — the Orange will need more well-rounded contributions.

3. With the way Syracuse has played recently, what are the odds SU will be playing in the NCAA tournament?

C.G.: Playing the numbers game with the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee won’t get you far. I’ll speculate and bet that Syracuse needs to finish out its last eight games 6-2, including a 2-2 record in four games against Virginia, Duke and Louisville. Given SU’s road struggles, the game at Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center might be SU’s most important contest remaining. There isn’t a better opportunity for the Orange to fortify its Tournament resume than by beating a bona-fide national championship contender in their own arena. The odds are against Syracuse, but it’s playing with nothing to lose at this point (except a spot in the NIT).

M.S.: If Syracuse goes 6-2 the rest of the way and gets at least two wins in four games against Louisville (twice), Duke and Virginia, then I think the Orange only needs to win once in the ACC tournament to get into the Big Dance. The Orange would be 21-12 with a 12-6 record in league play. I think 12 wins in the nation’s best conference is enough to mitigate the sting of losses to St. John’s, UConn and Georgetown. It’s still no sure bet, but one thing is for sure. With the way Syracuse has played lately, its hopes of NCAA Tournament inclusion certainly haven’t vanished just yet.

P.S.: I still think they’re pretty slim. The Orange has won just one Top 25 game and has to make up for losses to Connecticut, St. John’s and Boston College. With four games remaining against top teams, SU probably has to win at least two of them. But there haven’t been any sure bets for the Orange since November so who knows. Would anyone really be surprised if SU struggled the rest of the year and then won the ACC tournament? I don’t know.

Published on February 2, 2017 at 11:55 pm