Coming off a tough loss at the Dome against Duke on Saturday night, the Orange are back on the road heading to Chapel Hill to face the Tar Heels on Tuesday, February 26. Going from one ACC powerhouse team to another isn’t going to be easy for the Orange considering their tough 10 point loss against the Blue Devils. Syracuse is 18-9 overall and 9-5 in the ACC, sixth place in the conference standings, while the No. 8 Tar Heels are 22-5 and 12-2 in the ACC.
While the Orange are going into this week still with heavy hearts in the aftermath of the tragedy that occured after the Louisville Game and the loss against their rival, the Tar Heels are coming off one of their best weeks in college basketball. UNC defeated Duke and Florida State: both teams who beat the Orange this season.
The Orange definitely need to improve their shooting game to even have a chance at beating the Tar Heels. Overall the Tar Heels average 87.1 PPG, while the Orange score an average of 69.8 PPG. The Orange’s inconsistent shots made during the second half of the Duke game got them in trouble, which ultimately lead them to a loss after a strong first half.Throughout the second half, Syracuse made just 1-of-10 from the 3-point line and shot 10-for-32 overall in the final 20 minutes. Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett really struggled on Saturday, where Battle who averaged 32 points in Durham, only scored 16 points this past game. Brissett struggled equally as much evidenced by his 3-for-13 night.
Against Duke, senior forward Luke Maye was the star amongst the stars scoring 30 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Senior forward Cameron Johnson also showed the same agility and skill as Maye scoring 26 points and having 7 rebounds. Cameron Johnson's shooting averages makes him the ACC's second-best player in offensive efficiency. He shoots 46.5 percent on 3-point shots and will be a big challenge for SU's 2-3 zone.The Orange had many rebounds during the first half of the game against Duke, however during the second half Duke was able to save many of their possessions, which captured their win.
If SU can keep up with the Tar Heels in its shooting averages, its chances of winning increase significantly. The reality of the Orange’s game against these stronger teams is that their offense lacks. The offense needs to get itself inside the zone, so that the defense won’t have to force players to take 3-point shots. However, the Syracuse defense needs to do the same on the opposite side to make the Tar Heels take those risky 3 point shots. This strategy will be a true test for Tuesday night’s game as freshman point guard Coby White hasn’t looked his best the past couple of games. He hasn’t been making the 3 point shots that he normally has been making throughout the season and his weaknesses showed against Duke.
Tune into 88.3 for coverage of SU vs. UNC, starting with Countdown to Tipoff at 8:30 followed by the game at 9 pm.
A win against the Tar Heels would boost the Orange’s resume for the NCAA tournament and would be hard to deny the team a bid. However, for the Tar Heels, a win against SU, would help them lock up that double bye in the tournament. Syracuse has lost its last 7 games against the Tar Heels, with its last win against the team in 2014. With 7 straight wins against Boeheim, head coach Roy Williams sure knows how to prepare his team against the Orange. Tipoff will be at 9 pm in Chapel Hill with the Orange on the road.