Syracuse men’s basketball (15-12, 6-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) gets its against #16 North Carolina (20-6, 8-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) in the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday. The Orange are fresh off a brutal reality check in a 101-64 loss to #3 Duke on Monday. The 37-point beatdown is SU’s largest-ever defeat to an ACC opponent since joining the conference in 2013.
In its worst loss in ACC history, @Cuse_MBB falls to No. 3 @DukeMBB 101-64.@Hudson_Ridley and @GriffinMarcy1 had the call from Cameron Indoor Stadium. pic.twitter.com/1adpCw9iVY
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) February 17, 2026
After seemingly finding its feet with back-to-back wins last week, its loss to Duke threw off any momentum Syracuse may have had. It also marked the first time in over two years that Syracuse gave up 100 points in regulation. Orange head coach Adrian Autry is already looking ahead.
“I told our guys … ‘this game is over with,’” Autry said. “We got more games to play. … We’re moving forward after this. We gotta get ready for our next game.”
The loss was SU’s sixth by double digits this year. Another one of them came just under three weeks ago against the same UNC squad that Syracuse faces on Saturday. The Tar Heels took down the Orange 87-77 in Chapel Hill on February 2nd.
The scoreboard didn’t tell the full story, however. North Carolina dominated the matchup up for the first 30 minutes. The Tar Heels took a 14-point lead into the break, and then exploded for a 26-9 run to open the second half. UNC led by as much as 32 with under 10 minutes to play.
With the game seemingly over, the Orange showed a new spark that was nowhere to be found earlier. Syracuse outscored North Carolina by 26 in under nine minutes to cut the deficit to single digits with just over 30 seconds to play. SU ultimately fell short, but the matchup marked the Orange’s only defeat where they outscored their opponent after the first half.
“I think we are playing better. We showed it in spurts today,” Syracuse guard Nate Kingz said after the loss. “We just gotta figure out how to prolong that and do it for 40 minutes instead of 10 minutes.”
The biggest difference from SU’s last matchup vs. UNC is the status of Tar Heels’ two leading scorers. North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson remains doubtful to play with a fractured left hand, and center Henri Veesaar is day-to-day with a lower body injury. Both also missed the Tar Heels’ last two matchups. Wilson and Veesaar lead North Carolina with just under 20 and 17 points per game respectively, and both average a team-high nine rebounds.
UNC head coach Hubert Davis provided an update on Veesaar on Tuesday. “He continues to feel better and get better,” Davis said. “We’ll just … evaluate how he’s doing and then move forward from there.” There is no exact timeline for Veesaar’s return yet.
Without the potential presence of two big men for the Tar Heels, the Orange may continue to rely on their own. Syracuse’s leading scorer was a forward in its last two games. Senior William Kyle III had 12 points in the loss to Duke, and sophomore Donnie Freeman scored 18 in SU’s 79-78 win over SMU last Saturday.
Regardless of who’s on the floor, UNC remains one of the most disciplined teams in the ACC. The Tar Heels average under 10 turnovers per game, tied for the best mark in the conference. However, Syracuse barely won this battle in the schools’ last matchup, only committing 10 turnovers to North Carolina’s 11.
With four conference matchups remaining, a win for Syracuse would greatly strengthen its already-comfortable chances of making the ACC tournament. SU is currently 12th out of 18 conference opponents, with the top 15 qualifying for the tournament.
Find out how Syracuse fairs the second time around against North Carolina on WAER Saturday. Gametime is at 2 p.m., with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff at 1:30 p.m. on 88.3 FM and waer.org.
