Heels vs Orange, Part II
| North Carolina | Syracuse | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 23-6 | 19-10 |
| ACC Record | 12-4 | 9-7 |
| KenPom Rank | #5 | #42 |
| Points per game | 83.4 | 70.1 |
| Adj. Off. Efficiency(Rank) | 120.4(5th) | 109.4(70th) |
| Ad. Def. Efficiency(Rank) | 96.1(39th) | 96.2(40th) |
| Tempo(Rank) | 72.5(40th) | 65.3(330th) |
| Offensive eFG% | 52.6% | 50.3% |
| Defensive eFG% | 47.9% | 47.1% |
| Field Goal % | 48.3% | 42.5% |
| 2P FG% | 54.2% | 47.3% |
| 3P FG% | 32.0% | 36.1% |
| FT% | 73.2% | 67.6% |
| Offensive Reb Rate | 39.1% | 33.3% |
| Defensive Reb Rate | 70.0% | 65.3% |
| TO Rate | 15.2% | 18.1% |
| FT Rate | 32.7% | 35.6% |
| 3PA% | 26.4% | 37.9% |
The numbers certainly favor UNC in this match-up and after the way the Tar Heels eviscerated the Orange zone in early January there is no reason to believe UNC won't again exploit advantages. The Syracuse zone makes like easier on the offensive glass for the Tar Heels with the Orange being one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the country. That plays into UNC's hands as a team that thrives on second chance points.
The biggest danger Syracuse poses to UNC is three point shooting. The Orange have multiple three point shooters including Michael Gbinije who hit eight threes on Saturday in a win over NC State. Beside Gbinije there is Trevor Cooney, Tyler Lydon and Malachai Richard all capable of hitting threes.
Since UNC set the Orange to an 0-4 start in ACC play, the Orange have gone 9-3 with a win at Duke in the mix. In that same span UNC has gone 8-4 in the ACC. In that respect these two teams have been on equal footing over the past 12 games making this an awfully interesting match-up.
