SERIES:
Carolina is 13-5 against the Orange, winning nine of the last 10 games in the series.
UNC is 4-0 in Chapel Hill
Carolina is 9-2 since the Orange joined the ACC.
Roy Williams is 10-5 against Syracuse, including 9-3 as head coach of the Tar Heels.
LAST MATCHUP:
Carolina and Syracuse split a pair of games in 2019-20 with the Tar Heels winning in the Carrier Dome, 92-79, on February 29, and the Orange beating the Tar Heels, 81-53, 12 days in the ACC Tournament.
Carolina made a season-high 11 three-pointers in its win at Syracuse, including nine in the second half, and had 25 assists on 33 field goals.
Garrison Brooks scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
Carolina had 18 Turnovers in the ACC Tournament loss.
Brooks led UNC with 18 points and Leaky Black scored a then-career-high 14 points.
BY THE NUMBERS:
UNC is 7-4 (2-2 in ACC)
Only 2 players in double figures:
Bacot averages 11 points a game
Brooks averages 10.2 points a game
Other notable players:
Sharpe averages 9.8 points a game
Love averages 9.5 points a game
Davis averages 8.3 points a game
Black averages 7.7 points a game
Platek averages 5.5 points a game
Walton averages 5.1 points a game
Syracuse is 7-2 (losses to Rutgers and Pittsburgh) 1-1 in ACC
All starters average in double figures:
Griffin averages 16.4 points a game
Guerrier averages 16.1 points a game, leads team in rebounds per game at 9.4
Boeheim averages 14 points a game
Dolezaj averages 12.1 points a game, leads team in assists at 4.2 a game
Girard averages 10.8 points a game
Other notable players:
Richmond averages 8.1 points a game
Newton averages 5 points a game.
*STATS ARE PRIOR TO GEORGETOWN GAME*
The Heels will take on the Orange Tuesday night in the Smith Center. The game is at 9pm on the ACC Network. The Heels originally were supposed to be off until their showdown with FSU on Saturday, but rescheduled the Syracuse game that was postponed earlier in the year after the Clemson game was postponed. The Orange bring in a 7-2 record and are 1-1 in the ACC. They have losses to Rutgers and then Pitt in conference. They are coming off a win against Georgetown. They start 3 forwards and 2 guards. They have plenty of experience in their starting line up. Griffin is a junior. Guerrier is a sophomore. Boeheim is a Junior. Dolezaj is the lone senior, and Girard is a sophomore. The Orange do have some size, but don’t let the forwards fool you, that doesn’t mean size. Griffin is 6’5” and Guerrier is 6’7”. Dolezaj has some height at 6;10”. They play those starters plus Richmond and Newton. Those 7 players are their main rotation. Braswell plays some as well. Richmond averages 8.1 points and 25.1 minutes a game. Richmond is listed as a forward, but stands at only 6’5”. Newton averages 5 points and 10.9 minutes a game. Newton is another freshman who is a little taller at 6’8”.
Syracuse is a team that shares the ball well at over 18 assists per game. Girard is a good floor general and they rebound the ball well for a shorter team. They average around 40 rebounds a game. Their 3 point percentage isn’t great but they average almost 9 3’s a game. Boeheim is a threat from 3 despite his numbers. Both Guerrier and Newton shot 42.9% from 3. Once again guarding the 3 will be crucial.
They will run when the opportunity presents itself and they count on their defense. They average close to 10 steals a game and hold teams to 38.8% from the field; 29.4% from 3. We all know about the Syracuse zone. How they pack it in and force teams to stand around the perimeter for the majority of the shot clock. Unfortunately we have been all too willing to do this so far this season. This game will depend largely upon if we can get the ball into the middle of the zone. In years past, the high low from our bigs would beat the zone possession after possession. Remember when Theo Pinson was in the middle of the zone and he had a field day dishing the ball down low? Yeah that is what we need in this game. Unfortunately we are Pinson-less. Look for Black to be this guy. If we can get the ball in the middle then we can kick out to shooters like Platek or Walton maybe even get Love or Davis some open looks to help boost their confidence. Love and Davis have to swing the ball around fast. A zone is super effective when it doesn’t have to move. We have to make Syracuse rotate fast. If that happens we will be able to find plenty of holes, specifically the weak side block. We also have to convert around the basket. We struggled with that last game, and with close shots possibly being at a premium we need to convert. Once again we can’t turn the ball over especially not live ball turnovers. Defenses feed off of easy fast break layups and we can’t afford too many of those against this zone. We have a size average, but the zone protects against that a little bit. It does leave opportunities for offensive rebounds. Our size advantage may hurt us on the defensive side of the ball as their forwards are smaller and quicker than our forwards. We have to do a better job on defense in all facets. We need to communicate, and rotate. A lot of that can be cleaned up if we do a better job of keeping our man in front. Girard is crafty and smart. Love and Davis just need to stay disciplined and focus on keeping him in front. The Orange are a solid team and this is a great opportunity to get a good win before heading to Tallahassee on Saturday. This game will be decided on how effectively we can penetrate their zone. Roy has seen it and you know he will have the guys prepared. But can they execute the game plan? We shall see Tar Heel fans.
Check out the article link below for more info on the matchup and season numbers so far.
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