Chicago — The Syracuse basketball team has won twice during the NCAA Tournament as underdogs. The Orange will need to do it a third time to make the Final Four, entering its Sunday night game with Virginia as an 8½-point underdog.
The margin is likely a nod to Virginia's successful regular season, its methodical march through the postseason and its dominance over Syracuse for the past three years.
The Cavaliers, who have fallen short of the Final Four despite being a top two seed the last two seasons, have won every postseason game by at least eight points despite playing relatively challenging games against Butler and Iowa State.