West Virginia vs Syracuse Bet: 2021 March Madness Second-Round Pick. We’re onto the Second Round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament! The First Round certainly lived up to the March Madness name. We saw many upsets across the four regions, including 11-seed Syracuse winning their first game.
While not surprising, Jim Boeheim has the Orange playing solid basketball in March. But this time, he has his son Buddy Boeheim leading the way for his team. Buddy scored 30 points and drained seven shots from long range in their upset over San Diego State. Now, Jim Boeheim has to get his team ready for Bob Huggins, a familiar opponent.
Huggins and the Mountaineers used to be in the Big East with Boeheim and the Orange. For this reason, they have met six times. Syracuse has been a top-25 team and ranked higher than WVU in each of the last five matchups, so for the Mountaineers to be the favorite is unfamiliar territory.
Still, West Virginia is one of the best teams in the country, led by a balanced group of starters. While Morehead State played them tough in the first half last game, the Mountaineers stayed steady and got the 17-point win.
What can we expect from Sunday’s Syracuse vs West Virginia game?
Even if your bracket is already busted, you can still get in the game. Read all of our 2021 March Madness betting picks and 2021 NCAA Tournament predictions.
West Virginia vs Syracuse Bet: 2021 March Madness Second-Round Pick
West Virginia Mountaineers (-4) vs Syracuse Orange
West Virginia -4 (-109) at PointsBet
Odds current as of 9 a.m. ET Sunday.
Two things make Syracuse a tough team to play in March. The first is Boeheim’s famous 2-3 Zone. The second is the team’s shooting ability from deep, shown by his son’s seven made three-point shots in the First Round.
West Virginia has four players who average 11 points or more, including leading scorer Miles McBride, and the Mountaineers are solid passers. Good ball movement and knocking down open shots are two key steps to beating this zone.
Also, the Mountaineers are solid at defending the perimeter, holding opponents to 33% shooting from behind the arc this season.
These two points take away Syracuse’s two biggest strengths. What’s left is a team that is much less talented than West Virginia.
