By R.L. Bynum
Carolina’s defense, a cornerstone of a 10-game win streak earlier this season, continues to regress in recent games, and the No. 7 Tar Heels paid for it at Syracuse. The Orange cashed in with red-hot shooting.
After surviving poor late-game execution at Miami, UNC couldn’t overcome committing four turnovers in the last 2:02, as host Syracuse shot 62.5% on its way to an 86–77 upset on Tuesday at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Carolina (19–6, 11–3 ACC) lost three times in its first 20 games but have equaled that in the last five.
“Tonight, we just weren’t able to guard them one-on-one,” UNC coach Hubert Davis told the Tar Heel Sports Network. “They’re running middle ball screens and they were going one on one against us and they were able to score. In the first half, it felt like we were forcing them into contested twos, but they were hitting them.”
UNC thought it was done dealing with Syracuse’s zone with Coach Jim Boeheim’s retirement, but the Orange’s zone kept the Tar Heels from finding much of a rhythm. Ten of UNC’s 11 turnovers resulted from steals.
UNC came into the game leading the ACC in free-throw attempts (18.3 per game) but attempted a season-low 11 (the previous low was 12 in the win at Clemson).
Despite a size advantage, Carolina and Syracuse both scored 32 inside points.
RJ Davis scored 16 of his game-high 19 points in the second half to lead four UNC players in double figures, with Armando Bacot (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Harrison Ingram (14 points, 11 rebounds) both putting up double-doubles.
Cormac Ryan played all 40 minutes and scored 18 points and four 3-pointers, his best scoring game since hitting 20 against Kentucky on Dec. 16, but two of his five turnovers came in the last 2:02.
Elliot Cadeau only scored four points and one 3-pointer. But he dished out seven assists with only one turnover, his best assist-to-turnover ratio since collecting 10 assists in a turnover-free game in the 100–92 win over Tennessee on Nov. 29.
“That stretch where we won 10 games in a row, I felt like our defense was tight,” Coach Davis said. “Not that it’s not tight now; it just needs to be tighter. Just the little details of being in the right position, talking on defense, boxing out, defending without fouling.”
It was UNC’s worst defensive performance of the season, giving up a season-high 1.410 points per possession to Syracuse (19–6, 11–3) to top the 1.103 that Tennessee scored. It was the best shooting by a UNC opponent since Pittsburgh shot 64.5% on Feb. 14, 2015, in an 89–76 Tar Heels loss. That was also the last time an opponent shot at least 60% in both halves.
“We’ve talked about us identifying what allows us to have success, and that’s defense and rebounding and taking care of the basketball,” Coach Davis said. “In large part, we took care of the basketball — maybe down the stretch, we didn’t. But in our defense — we just didn’t play well enough, obviously, to win the game.”
Syracuse, which lost at UNC by 36 points, made circus shots in the first half, and J.J. Starling banked in a 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer in the second half. Judah Mintz (25 points, five rebounds, four assists) and Starling (23 points, three 3-pointers) repeatedly beat UNC one-on-one, dooming UNC.
Carolina tried doubling Mintz off ball screens in the second half, but that only slowed him down.
“We switched things defensively in the second half a number of times just to give him a different look,” Coach Davis said. “We were able to get back into the game and take a one-point lead, and that’s when Starling — up against the shot clock — hits a banked 30-footer. We just couldn’t catch back up.”
Seth Trimble returned after missing two games, scoring one point and pulling down two rebounds in 11 minutes.
Syracuse used a 13–6 run to take a 10-point lead on a Quadir Copeland drive eight minutes into the game. RJ Davis’ first points didn’t come until a 3-pointer during a 13–4 run to cut Syracuse’s lead to one on a Bacot layup with 5:18 left in the first half.
Consecutive Ingram 3-pointers gave UNC a 37–34 lead. But after a pair of Starling jumpers sent the game to halftime tied at 42, Syracuse started the second half with a 9–1 run.
Davis’ 3-pointer ended a UNC field-goal drought of more than seven minutes, and Cadeau added another 3 to cut the deficit to three. Three minutes later, Davis tied it at 58 with a three-point play, then had five points during a 7–2 run to give UNC a 65–64 lead at the under-eight-minute timeout.
Mintz scored six points in a 16–4 run to put Syracuse up eight with 58 seconds left. Ryan’s 3-pointer cut it to five with eight seconds later. After Mintz split a pair of free throws with 48 seconds left, Ingram’s follow shot nine seconds later cut UNC’s deficit to four.
Five Syracuse free throws in the last 38 seconds put the game away.
NOTES — Carolina plays four of its last six regular-season games at the Smith Center, starting with Saturday’s 2 p.m. game with Virginia Tech, a team that includes former UNC player Tyler Nickel. The Hokies (13–10, 5–7) hosted Florida State on Tuesday night. … UNC fell to 1–4 on Tuesdays (win at Pittsburgh on Jan. 2 and losses at New York against UConn on Dec. 5, at Georgia Tech on Jan. 30, vs. Clemson on Feb. 6 and Tuesday at Syracuse). … Carolina made 12 of 27 3-point attempts, only the second time in 16 gaes this season the Tar Heels lost when making more threes than the opponent (Villanova). … Bacot’s season-high fourth straight double-double was the 80th of his career, tying him for seventh in NCAA history with Drexel’s Malik Rose. … It was the first time UNC lost in 15 games this this season when four or more Tar Heels scored in double figures. … Syracuse shot 63% in the first half, the best shooting half by a UNC opponent this season. … The Tar Heels shot 47.5% from the floor, their highest percentage in a loss this season (previous was 47.4% vs. Kentucky). … UNC had 19 assists on 29 field goals. The 19 assists were a season high in a loss and equaled the second most in any game this season. … It was the Orange’s first win over a top-10 team since beating No. 1 Duke 95–91 on Jan. 14, 2019. … UNC, which won the Jan. 13 meeting with Syracuse 103–67, leads the series with the Orange 16–7, including 5–3 at Syracuse. … Carolina is 34–18 all-time in domed stadiums. … Three starters — Ryan, Ingram and Davis — played all 20 second-half minutes.
Syracuse 86, No. 7 UNC 79
UNC season statistics
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Duke | 0–0 | 11–0 | 2 |
| California | 0–0 | 10–1 | 63 |
| No. 12 North Carolina | 0–0 | 10–1 | 15 |
| No. 23 Virginia | 0–0 | 9–1 | 21 |
| Miami | 0–0 | 10–2 | 33 |
| Virginia Tech | 0–0 | 10–2 | 58 |
| No. 11 Louisville | 0–0 | 9–2 | 17 |
| SMU | 0–0 | 9–2 | 43 |
| Stanford | 0–0 | 8–2 | 98 |
| Clemson | 0–0 | 9–3 | 32 |
| Notre Dame | 0–0 | 9–3 | 65 |
| Wake Forest | 0–0 | 9–3 | 59 |
| N.C. State | 0–0 | 8–4 | 34 |
| Georgia Tech | 0–0 | 7–4 | 189 |
| Syracuse | 0–0 | 7–4 | 96 |
| Pittsburgh | 0–0 | 6–6 | 154 |
| Boston College | 0–0 | 5–6 | 177 |
| Florida State | 0–0 | 5–6 | 148 |
* — Through Wednesday games
Tuesday’s results
No. 12 North Carolina 77, East Tennessee State 58
No. 3 Duke 97, Lipscomb 73
No. 20 Tennessee 83, No. 11 Louisville 62
Dayton 97, Florida State 69
Clemson 68, South Carolina 61
Miami 98, Florida International 81
Georgia Tech 87, Marist 76
Wednesday’s results
N.C. State 108, Texas Southern 72
Pittsburgh 103, Binghamton 6
Syracuse 76, Mercyhurst 62
Wake Forest 71, Longwood 68
UT Arlington at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
Friday’s games
Mississippi Valley State at Florida State, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Morgan State at California, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
Saturday’s games
Montana at No. 11 Louisville, noon, ACCN Extra
Lafayette at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Elon at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Ohio State vs. No. 12 North Carolina at CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta, 3 p.m., CBS
Northeastern at Syracuse, 4 p.m., ACCN Extra
Maryland at No. 23 Virginia, 6 p.m., ESPN
No. 3 Duke at No. 16 Texas Tech, 8 p.m., ESPN
Stanford at Colorado, 8 p.m., ESPNU
Sunday’s games
Penn State vs. Pittsburgh in Hershey, Pa., noon, Big Ten Network
Ole Miss vs. N.C. State in Greensboro, 1 p.m., ESPN
No. 13 Vanderbilt at Wake Forest, 1 p.m., The CW
Purdue Ft. Wayne at Notre Dame, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Central Arkansas at SMU, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Cincinnati vs. Clemson in Greenville, S.C., 3 p.m., ESPN
North Florida at Miami, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Columbia at California, 5 p.m., ACCN Extra
Monday’s games
American at Virginia, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Jacksonville at Florida State, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Stonehill at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Fairleigh Dickinson at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
East Carolina at No. 12 North Carolina, 8 p.m., ACC Network
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 10 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 17 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 9 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. East Tennessee State | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | 3 p.m. | vs. Ohio State | CBS |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | 8 p.m. | vs. East Carolina | ACCN |
| 30 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Florida State | ESPN2 |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | 2:15 | at SMU | The CW |
| 10 | Saturday | 6 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 14 | Wednesday | 9 p.m. | at Stanford | ACCN |
| 17 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at California | ACCN |
| 21 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 or 2:30 | at No. 23 Virginia | ESPN or ESPNU |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
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