Syracuse squares off with North Carolina tonight down in Chapel Hill tonight. The last time these two teams played the world basically ended. The Orange took down UNC in the ACC tournament and it was pretty much the last sporting event that was played before Covid shut things down. A lot of people crowned Syracuse the ACC tournament champions after that win, which in turn, would have placed them in the NCAA Tournament, where they most likely would have made the Final Four. So if-so fact-toe, this is the first time SU and UNC will meet since Syracuse made the 2020 Final Four.
Cuse is coming off a nice win vs. rival Georgetown over the weekend. The Orange got 21 points from Buddy Boeheim, who, if you ask me, is on the verge of going on a tear through the ACC. Joe Girard added 18 points and 8 assists and just looked really good while he was on the floor. SU did try to blow a 13 point lead however, and did not play solid second half defense for the second game in a row which is something they will not be able to afford to do vs the TarHeels. I’ll be shocked if the Orange gets a double digit lead to squander, and that means they need to guard over the final 20 minutes to win this game.
UNC has a strong front court with Black, Sharpe and Bacot and is currently 1st in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game. The Orange got worked on the offensive glass vs. Pitt and that proved to be the difference in the second half. Syracuse has been without center Bourama Sidibe, who provides a nice presence on the boards, UNC could feast on second chance points tonight without him on the court again.
WHAT THE ORANGE NEED TONIGHT
-Bounce back games from Alan Griffin and Quincey Guerrier
SU’s offense is at its best when these guys are active and they have been very quiet since their return to the court. Syracuse is going to need to put up some points tonight to win and they’ll need these two to contribute.
-A strong second half
A third game in a row of a poor second half performance and we are looking at a trend that will be a serious issue. You cannot come sleeping walking out of the locker room. Especially on the road, even with no fans.
-Hit the boards
Like I said, UNC crashes on the offensive end of the floor. If SU is going to give up constant second chance points tonight they are going to find themselves in a hole.
KEEP AN EYE ON
-Buddy
Another thing I touched on above. I think Buddy is ready to rain buckets over the ACC. He found his stroke last game, hopefully as the covid-protcol absence in his rear view, and is ready to light up defenses. Look for Buddy to build on last games 21.
-Garrison Brooks
Brooks crushes SU. He is a veteran on this UNC team. He is strong, rebounds the basketball, finds gaps in the zone. It will not surprise me if Brooks has himself nice night with a double double.
With a second straight win tonight SU has a chance to get a nice win streak going before a tougher stretch of their schedule hits in a few weeks. This year’s UNC team isn’t like some top ranked ones SU has faced since joining the ACC, but they are still UNC, and Cuse will need to play a full 40 minutes to secure a good looking road win. UNC has won their last two games by 1 point and 2 points, respectively, and I expect tonight to be a close one as well so thats why I am taking Syracuse +4.5 (started at +3.5). Im also taking over 145.5 (started at 144.5). Both these teams can score in the 70s and SU has been picking it up offensively. Go Orange.
