Can the Orange avoid falling into the Tuesday round in DC?
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The Syracuse Orange (15-9, 6-7) hope to finish their homestand with a win over the #7 North Carolina Tar Heels (19-5, 11-2). The Tar Heels have a one game lead over Virginia and they will be looking to avoid the upset. UNC won the first meeting 103-67 and let’s hope it’s not a repeat of that game.
Tip-off is at 7:00 on ESPN and here’s what we’re watching for tonight:
Kevin: Maintain contact
In the first meeting, the Orange found themselves down 52-30 at the half so staying close to Carolina will keep the fans engaged and may keep some pressure on the Tar Heels. UNC’s starting five only committed seven turnovers in that game, so Syracuse needs to find a way to do what they did against Clemson and then turn those opportunities into points. Even a close loss could give this team a bit of a confidence boost for the upcoming road trip.
Max: Rebounding effort
We’ve touched on it over the past week, but rebounding emphasis should be at an all-time high against North Carolina. The Orange got out-rebounded by 23 in their first matchup against the Tar Heels, and will need someone to step up besides Maliq Brown this time around. I’m not expecting SU to win the battle on the boards tonight, but more effort from Chris Bell, J.J. Starling and Judah Mintz (four combined rebounds in first meeting) will give Syracuse a better chance at an upset.
Dom: Win the turnover battle
Considering their previous 36-point loss to the Tar Heels, the Orange will have to play at a near-perfect level to stay in this one. With a lack of depth and offensive lulls in the halfcourt, Syracuse is going to need to get out in transition. North Carolina outscored Syracuse 22-6 on second-chance points and 58-32 in points in the paint; the Orange can’t afford to also be a minus-11 in fastbreak points or cough the ball up 17 times. Syracuse will need to win the possession battle and try to reduce the rebounding margin as realistically as possible.
Mike: Livin’ on a Prayer
It’s times like this where I wish Jon Bon Jovi’s son still went to SU so he had a reason to visit - the Orange could certainly take one of his classics to heart while facing off against the class of the ACC. Even a great defender like Maliq Brown will have a challenge against Armando Bacot on the boards, and with two bonafide snipers on the wing to throw up shots, it’s a very tough matchup all around.
Finn: Keeping Pace
What I would love to see in this matchup, above anything, is the Orange just keeping pace with UNC and keeping the game close. In ACC matchups throughout this season, whether it be due to bad substitutions or poor shooting performances, the Orange have repeatedly allowed big swings from their opponents on offense to knock them out of games. The third quarter of the game against Duke or the second quarter of the first UNC matchup are great examples of this. On Tuesday, can we see the Orange get hit, and get back up?
Szuba: Encourage Carolina to shoot
Syracuse won’t have any sort of advantage in the paint by any stretch of imagination. Meantime, the Tar Heels took over half of their shot attempts from beyond the arc against Miami on Saturday. If the Heels want to shoot, the Orange would be wise to invite them to do so. That doesn’t mean give up wide open looks, but if Elliot Cadeau and Harrison Ingram are inclined to shoot, well, Syracuse might want to sag off. Of course that still brings up the rebounding conundrum, but the Orange won’t be able to provide post-resistance to ward off Ingram and Bacot down low.
