The Virginia Cavaliers (15-16, 8-12 ACC) wrapped up their regular basketball season with a tough 84-70 loss to Syracuse (13-18, 7-13 ACC) on Saturday night at the JMA Wireless Dome. Despite a strong second-half push, the Cavaliers struggled to recover from a sluggish start, marking the end of regular-season ACC play on a sour note.
From the opening tip, Virginia found itself playing catch-up. The Orange came out firing, dominating the first half with a blistering 58.1 percent shooting performance. Virginia, on the other hand, struggled to find a rhythm, managing just one three-pointer in the first 20 minutes. Turnovers proved costly as well—Syracuse capitalized on UVA’s mistakes, turning seven first-half giveaways into 12 points.
Despite a brief 8-2 run that cut the deficit to 10, Virginia couldn’t sustain momentum. By halftime, Syracuse had extended its lead to 43-26, leaving the Cavaliers in a deep hole.
Coming out of the locker room, Virginia showed signs of life. The Cavaliers shot an improved 60.7 percent from the field in the second half and even outscored Syracuse 44-41, but the early deficit was too much to overcome. UVA never led at any point in the game and was unable to cut the lead to fewer than 13 points in the final stretch.
Jacob Cofie led Virginia with 13 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting night, while Dai Dai Ames extended his double-figure scoring streak to 10 games with 10 points. Still, the Cavaliers’ lack of three-point production (3-for-15 on the night) and rebounding struggles (Syracuse held a 31-17 advantage on the glass) made the comeback effort an uphill climb.
With the loss, Virginia enters the ACC Tournament as the No. 9 seed and will face No. 8 seed Georgia Tech (16-15, 10-10 ACC) in the second round on Wednesday, March 12. Tipoff is set for noon at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. A win there would give UVA a shot at making a deeper tournament run, but they’ll need a stronger start than they had in Syracuse if they hope to keep their season alive.
As Virginia’s regular season comes to a close, it’s hard not to feel a sense of disappointment. But beyond the loss at Syracuse, this season has been about more than just wins and losses—it’s been a year of transition for Virginia basketball. The sudden retirement of Tony Bennett in October 2024, after 15 seasons and a national championship in 2019, left a massive void in the program.
His departure, citing concerns about the current state of college athletics, sent shockwaves through the UVA community. In his absence, interim head coach Ron Sanchez stepped in to guide the Cavaliers through an uncertain time. Though this season didn’t unfold as many had hoped, Sanchez met with the media after the loss to reaffirm that the program remains stable and committed to moving forward:
“Our goal as a group was not to play on the first day. We wanted that No. 9 seed. I was hoping that we would be motivated to get it with a victory here but it is a goal to accomplish for us. You know we had a rough start to the conference play and to be able to right the ship and end up there is a credit to our team and our staff.”
While the immediate future is unclear, Virginia’s basketball legacy endures, and the foundation built under Bennett still provides a path forward for the years to come.
If you’re interested in reviewing the recap, postgame notes, and postgame interview yourself—feel free to head to the UVA Men’s Basketball Website or click on those links.
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