Syracuse men’s basketball comes up short against North Carolina 88-82

Just over a year ago, Syracuse men’s basketball upset then-#7 North Carolina in what was the first signature win in the Adrian Autry era. But lightning couldn’t strike twice for the Orange (11-15, 5-10 Atlantic Coast) as they fell to the Tar Heels (15-11, 8-6 Atlantic Coast) 88-82 last night.

One thing that helped SU pull off the upset last year was a switch to a 2-3 zone, allowing the ‘Cuse to rack up 10 steals against UNC. Fast forward to the most recent matchup, and it can be argued that the zone was a detriment to Syracuse. The Orange allowed the Tar Heels to sink 46% of their threes from downtown.

“In certain situations when we needed to get a stop, we didn't." SU head coach Adrian Autry said.

Those situations have come far too often as of late for the Orange. Saturday marked the fourth straight game Syracuse has given up more than 80 points to its opponents.

On the other end of the court, a 48-point second-half surge helped the ‘Cuse nearly comeback against UNC. Syracuse guard JJ Starling scored 20 of his 22 points in the final 20 minutes while center Eddie Lampkin Jr. put in a career-high 26 points.

"Eddie's a guy that gives you everything he has. He had some issues earlier, but he kept working.” Autry said. The last couple weeks, he's been feeling better. He plays with a sense of urgency."

That sense of urgency has helped Lampkin score 20 points in consecutive games for the first time all season. But despite the efforts from SU’s standouts, UNC had a dynamic duo of its own that dominated throughout. Freshman guard Ian Jackson poured in a career high 23 points and five three-pointers off of the bench, and forward Jae’Lyn Withers chipped in 19 to go along with three blocks and three triples.

Jackson in particular led a Tar Heels bench unit that outshined the Orange reserves in bench points 34-15, marking the third time in the last four games Syracuse’s second unit has been outscored by its opponents.

“We gotta work harder and play more together as a unit,” said Starling. “It just comes down to who’s willing to make a change and who’s not.”

With just five games left to go in the regular season, there may not be enough time for the Orange to make those changes. SU is tied for the fourth-worst record in the ACC and currently holds the last spot in the conference tournament. Syracuse aims to climb further out of the ACC basement against Pittsburgh this Tuesday. The Panthers topped the Orange earlier this season 77-73. Gametime from Petersen Events Center is at 7, WAER’s coverage begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff at 6:30.