With 13 seconds left, Anthony Clayton sank two free throws. The senior guard was a bench player who entered the game late on Senior Day, and both shots whipped the Syracuse faithful at the JMA Wireless Dome into a frenzy. Even the commentators joined in the excitement, praising Clayton for a fitting send off for the Class of 2025 in Syracuse, N.Y.
On the other end of the floor, freshman guard Ishan Sharma weaved through traffic and made a layup. Then, a turnover and a Sharma three-point shot. A strong finish, but one lacking impact on a game that felt decided many, many minutes ago.
The environment matters. The stakes matter. For both teams, the circumstances matter — Senior Day for the Orange (13-18, 7-13 ACC) was as clear an example as any, and it was clear that the Cavaliers (15-16, 8-12 ACC) lacked the energy apparent in their opponents Saturday.
“Every upperclassman wants to leave his building with a W,” Interim Coach Ron Sanchez said. “We knew that there was going to be a tremendous amount of energy, effort and commitment to playing hard. So there was no surprise.”
Virginia’s deficit as the clock hit zero was 14 points, an 84-70 blowout on the road. For Syracuse, it was a rousing finish to a difficult, subpar season. For the Cavaliers, another historically great program facing their worst season in years, it was a draining loss at a particularly inopportune time — with the ACC Tournament just over the horizon.
The Virginia offense, which had come to life in recent games, suddenly went cold. Just two Cavaliers scored in the double-digits — freshman forward Jacob Cofie and sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames. For Ames, it was more of a struggle than a highlight, as he fought for each bucket in an attempt to ignite the stagnant offense. For Cofie, it was a more positive showing, as he led the team with 13 points and grabbed four rebounds in a pleasant offensive game to round out his first season at Virginia.
Alongside Cofie, freshman forward Anthony Robinson also recorded a solid performance, notching eight points and six rebounds. Neither Cofie nor Robinson was the answer in the interior, however — the statistics say that both teams scored 42 points in the paint, but Syracuse dominated the glass en route to 31 rebounds, significantly outpacing the Cavaliers’ 17 boards.
Behind the Orange’s frontcourt dominance was Eddie Lampkin Jr., the graduate center who bullied the Virginia forwards. From the tip to the final buzzer, the Cavaliers had absolutely no answer, allowing Lampkin Jr. to rack up 25 points and 10 rebounds, a dominant double-double.
Perhaps Lampkin Jr.’s performance is a fitting crystallization of Virginia’s struggles this season, of which there are many — frontcourt dominance has been the Cavaliers’ most glaring weakness, though, and it was thoroughly exposed against Syracuse. Robinson, Cofie and sophomore forward Blake Buchanan have struggled all season to match up against the ACC’s best forwards, and Saturday was no exception.
“When a guy is as physical as [Lampkin Jr.] is and has the touch and the footwork that he has, it’s hard to beat him one-on-one,” Sanchez said. “We tried to do the best that we could, and unfortunately he had a really good game.
The other glaring issue Saturday was Virginia’s three-point shooting — which has often been a source of strength. When key shooters like junior guards Isaac McKneely and Andrew Rohde struggle to shoot, though, this is the result. In Sanchez’s eyes, that is a testament to Syracuse— which allowed three-pointers at the sixth-worst rate in the ACC entering Saturday’s game.
“I don’t think that Isaac McKneely got a really good look today,” Sanchez said. “That is credit to their defense.”
A 20 percent clip from behind the three-point line is the last thing the Cavaliers needed at this stage. Entering the ACC Tournament, momentum is everything. It looked like Virginia was beginning to pick up some speed — that is, until Saturday.
Yet, even despite the continued struggles of the young Cavalier squad, Sanchez struck an optimistic tone ahead of their trip to Greensboro, N.C.
“The more they play, the better they get,” Sanchez said. “For them, this is an opportunity to grow. They’ll get better and they’ll improve, and they’ll be better prepared the next time we play the next opponent.”
With the regular season in the books, Virginia finishes with a record below .500 for the first time since the 2009-10 season. The NCAA Tournament will not feature the Cavaliers barring a deep run in the ACC Tournament.
Even with Saturday’s loss, Virginia earned a first-round bye — the No. 9 seed Cavaliers will play their first game versus No. 8 seed Georgia Tech Wednesday at noon. The winner will face a tough test Thursday versus No. 1 seed Duke.
A win, and the Cavaliers keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, perhaps putting a positive spin on an uninspiring season. A loss, and Virginia will begin its offseason earlier than it has in recent memory.
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