By R.L. Bynum
Syracuse (13–9, 4–5) at No. 16 North Carolina (17–4, 4–3)
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Smith Center
TV: ESPN: Dave O’Brien play-by-play, Jay Williams analyst, Molly McGrath sideline reporter
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app); Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Zeller analyst
Coaches: Adrian Autry (47–40 in third season, all at Syracuse), a Monroe, N.C., native, and Hubert Davis (118–49 overall and 61–27 in the ACC in fifth season, all at UNC; was 228–95 in nine seasons as a UNC assistant coach)
Series: UNC leads 18–7 (see list below), including 7–0 in the Smith Center.
Quad designation: Syracuse’s NET ranking is 73, making this a Quad 3 game for UNC.
Common opponents:
— UNC beat Kansas 87–54 at home on Nov. 7; Syracuse lost 71–60 in Las Vegas on Nov. 25.
— Both won at Georgia Tech: Syracuse 82–72 on Jan. 6 and UNC 91–75 on Saturday.
— Both won at home against Florida State: UNC 79–66 on Dec. 30 and Syracuse 94–86 on Jan. 13.
— Both won at home against Notre Dame: UNC 91–69 on Jan. 21 and Syracuse 86–72 on Saturday.
Syracuse resume
— 73 NET ranking
— 1–4 in Quad 1 games: win at Tennessee; losses at N.C. State and in Las Vegas against Iowa State, Houston and Kansas
— 1–3 in Quad 2 game: win at Pittsburgh; home losses vs. Clemson, Miami and Virginia Tech
— 4–2 in Quad 3 games: home wins vs. Notre Dame, Florida State and St. Joseph’s; win at Georgia Tech; home loss to Hofstra; loss at Boston College
— 7–0 in Quad 4 games: home wins vs. Monmouth, Northeastern, Mercyhurst, Stonehill, Delaware State and Binghamton; neutral-site win over Drexel.
— 0–3 against teams currently ranked
Syracuse results (current rankings listed)
Oct. 25: 76–66 exhibition win vs. Buffalo
Oct. 29: 75–57 exhibition win vs. Pace
Nov. 3: 85–47 win vs. Binghamton
Nov. 8: 83–43 win vs. Delaware State
Nov. 15: 80–50 win vs. Drexel in Philadelphia
Nov. 18: 78–73 win vs. Monmouth
Nov. 24: 87–74 OT loss to No. 10 Houston in Las Vegas
Nov. 25: 71–69 loss to No. 14 Kansas in Las Vegas
Nov. 26: 95–64 loss to No. 8 Iowa State in Las Vegas
Dec. 2: 62–60 win vs. Tennessee
Dec. 11: 71–63 win vs. Saint Joseph’s
Dec. 13: 70–69 loss vs. Hofstra
Dec. 17: 76–62 win vs. Mercyhurst
Dec. 20: 91–83 win vs. Northeastern
Dec. 22: 77–48 win vs. Stonehill
Dec. 31: 64–61 loss vs. No. 22 Clemson
Jan. 6: 82–72 win at Georgia Tech
Jan. 10: 83–72 win at Pittsburgh
Jan. 13: 94–86 win vs. Florida State
Jan. 17: 81–73 loss at Boston College
Jan. 21: 76–74 loss vs. Virginia Tech
Jan. 24: 85–76 loss vs. Miami
Jan. 27: 88–68 loss at N.C. State
Saturday: 86–72 win vs. Notre Dame
Usual Syracuse starters
No. 1 | F | Donnie Freeman (top photo) | 6–9, 205 | sophomore
— Team-leading 18.2 points, 50.3 FG%, 32.6 3P%, 78.6 FT%, 7.3 rebounds; totals of 18 assists, 31 turnovers, 11 blocks, 14 steals
— Has produced three big scoring game in January, scoring a career-high 27 points in the 82–72 win Jan. 6 at Georgia Tech (highlights below), 25 in the 94–86 home over Florida State (highlights below) and 24 in the 88–68 loss Jan. 27 at N.C. State.
No. 2 | G | J.J. Starling | 6–4, 206 | senior | Notre Dame transfer in third season at Syracuse
— 12.0 points, 44.9 FG%, 32.8 3P%, 52.1 FT%, 2.7 rebounds; totals of 50 assists, 25 turnovers, 5 blocks, 19 steals
— Scored a career-high 38 points Nov. 16, 2024, against Youngstown State and a season-high 21 points and three 3-pointers Saturday against Notre Dame (highlights below).
No. 3 | G | Nate Kingz | 6–5, 190 | redshirt senior | Oregon State transfer
— 11.0 points, 47.6 FG%, 36.8 3P%, 63.2 FT%, 3.8 rebounds; totals of 27 assists, 16 turnovers, 11 blocks, 24 steals
— Played freshman season at Westmont, sophomore season at Southern Idaho and the previous two seasons at Oregon State (missing two seasons ago with a knee injury)
— Scored career-high 28 points with five 3-pointers Saturday against Notre Dame (highlights below), one of eight career games with at least four 3-pointers; his career-high is six 3-pointers on Nov. 15, 2024, against Cal State Fullerton.
No. 11 | PG | Naithan George | 6–3, 185 | junior | Georgia Tech transfer
— 9.5 points, 38.7 FG%, 31.0 3P%, 80.0 FT%, 3.1 rebounds; totals of 122 assists, 67 turnovers, 7 blocks, 33 steals
— Scored career-high 28 points for Georgia Tech last seson on Feb. 4, 2025, in a triple-OT win at Clemson.
— Season-high is 22 points in December games against Northeastern (highlights below) and Stonehill
— Has 14 games with at least three 3-pointers and two with five 3s.
No. 32 | F | William Kyle III | 6–9, 230 | senior | UCLA transfer
— 9.5 points, team-high 67.5 FG%, 0 3-point attempts, 50.0 FT%, team-high 7.5 rebounds; totals of 23 assists, 26 turnovers, 59 blocks, 23 steals
— Played freshman and sophomore seasons at South Dakota State, where he scored a career-high 26 points on Jan. 13, 2024, at Denver.
— Scored season-high 16 points on Nov. 3 against Binghamton
More on Tar Heels
—Heels move up in NET rankings after blowout win, but one loss becomes Quad 2
— Veesaar rebounds from “wake-up” call at Virginia
— Trimble turns drives into daggers as Heels learn to close
— Wilson takes flight, ignites Heels in hometown blowout
— RJ Davis follows up triple-double with 45 points, 6 3-pointers in 42-point win
UNC’s keys to the game
Attack Syracuse’s interior, win the rebounding battle — UNC enters averaging 40.0 rebounds per game, significantly better than Syracuse’s 35.2. The Tar Heels are 34th nationally in rebounding, while Syracuse ranks 223rd. Syracuse just gave up 44 rebounds to N.C. State and gave up a lot of second-chance points. Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar should set the tone on the glass.
Dictate pace and push the tempo — UNC scores 83 points per game and shoots 48.1% from the field, both superior to Syracuse’s offensive efficiency. Syracuse’s defensive numbers (69.9 points-per-game allowed, 42.2% shooting from the floor allowed) are solid but bend under sustained pace. If UNC forces transition opportunities, Syracuse’s half-court reliance on Donnie Freeman and J.J. Starling becomes less effective.
Pressure Syracuse’s ballhandlers — The Orange average 11.3 turnovers per game, and point guard Naithan George is their only true primary creator at 5.6 assists per game. If UNC closes out on shooters and forces Syracuse into late-clock situations, the Orange offense can stagnate.
Crowd Donnie Freeman and William Kyle III inside — Freeman (18.2 points per game) and Kyle (7.5 rebounds per game) are Syracuse’s anchors. They accounted for 34 combined points in recent games and are the key to Syracuse’s interior scoring and rebounding. If UNC forces Syracuse to rely on perimeter shooting (33.7% from 3-point range), the Orange become much less dangerous.
Lean on Wilson — A key for every game and obvious. Wilson, averaging 20.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks, attacking from the mid-post or facing up creates a matchup Syracuse has struggled to contain all season.
Syracuse ACC statistical ranks
| Rank | Statistic | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Blocks per game | 6.0 |
| 5th | Scoring defense | 70.0 |
| 6th | Field-goal percentage | 47.1% |
| 8th | Defensive 3-point percentage | 31.6% |
| 9th | Field-goal percentage defense | 42.2% |
| 14th | Scoring | 75.8 |
| 14th | Assist-to-turnover ratio | — |
| 15th | Rebounding | 35.2 |
| 15th | Offensive rebounding | 10.5 |
| 15th | Rebounding margin | -1.0 |
| 16th | 3-point percentage | 33.7% |
| 16th | 3-pointers per game | 7.1 |
| Last | Free-throw percentage | 63.1% |
Notes
— Syracuse lost four rotation players to the transfer portal (Chris Bell to California, Elijah Moore to Utah, Chance Westry to UAB and Kyle Cuffe Jr. to Mercer) and brought in six players (William Kyle III from UCLA, Nate Kingz from Oregon State, Bryce Zephir from Montana State, Tyler Betsey from Cincinnati and two from Georgia Tech; Naithan George and Ibrahim Souare.)
— Freshman reserve Kiyan Anthony is the son of Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony.
— UNC leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.82, and Syracuse is 14th at 1.20. That tops the best full-season performance of 1.65 by the 2015–16 team.
— This is the first time UNC has played twice in three days since facing Ohio State on Dec. 20 and East Carolina on Dec. 22, and is the first of two Saturday-Monday stretches in ACC play. The other also involves the Orange: Carolina plays at Syracuse on Feb. 21 and hosts Louisville on Feb. 23.
— Carolina is 12–0 at the Smith Center this season with an average victory margin of 22.3 points.
— In Saturday’s win at Georgia Tech, UNC tied a school record with only two turnovers and had 21 assists on a season-high 36 field goals. The Heels have 10 or fewer turnovers in eight of the last 13 games.
— UNC’s 1.82 assist-to-turnover ratio tops the best full-season performance of 1.65 by the 2015–16 team.
— Caleb Wilson, who leads the country with 65 dunks, set freshman scoring records in his homecoming game in Atlanta for double-figure scoring games (21) and games with at least 20 points (15; passing Tyler Hansbrough’s total of 14 in 2005–06).
— Wilson and Henri Veesaar are combining to average 36.8 points and 18.9 rebounds. They have 56 blocks and 102 assists, and are shooting 60.5% from the floor with 247 free-throw attempts. The last duo to average at least 16 points and at least nine rebounds was Doug Moe and Lee Shaffer on the 1959–60 team.
— Wilson leads the ACC in rebounding at 9.9 per game, which is second nationally among freshmen and fourth overall.
— Veesaar leads the team in field-goal percentage (62.3%), 3-point shooting percentage (45.8%), and is second in scoring (16.8 points per game), rebounding (9.0 per game) and blocks (27).
— Since the start of ACC play, UNC is third in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency with 130.7 points per 100 possessions, trailing only Houston and Illinois. The Tar Heels are ninth in assist/turnover ratio, 17th in turnovers, 18th in offensive efficiency, 36th in assists per game, 46th in field-goal percentage and 51st in effective field-goal percentage.
— UNC is fifth in the country in two-point field goal percentage defense (43.8%)
and 23rd in effective field goal percentage (46.6%).
— The Tar Heels 8.8 3-pointers per game is more than the program record of 8.67 by the 2018–19 team.
— Carolina has won 20 straight games when making more 3-pointers than its opponent.
However, the opponents have made more threes in all four of UNC’s losses this season (by
a combined 18 in the four games).
UNC season statistics
All games
ACC games
Syracuse season statistics
All games
ACC games
Statistical comparison
All games/ACC games
| Category | UNC | SU |
| NET ranking | 25 | 73 |
| Points per game | 83.0/85.5 | 75.8/77.4 |
| Scoring defense | 70.3/81.3 | 70.0/77.3 |
| Scoring margin | +12.7/+4.2 | +5.8/+0.1 |
| FG% | 48.9/49.5 | 47.7/43.6 |
| 3P FG % | 34.1/36.7 | 33.7/37.8 |
| 3P per game | 8.8/9.3 | 7.1/8.1 |
| FT% | 68.1/67.7 | 63.1/70.5 |
| FG% defense | 39.9/46.5 | 40.2/46.8 |
| 3FG% defense | 34.1/42.1 | 31.6/30.1 |
| Opponent 3P/game | 8.2/11.6 | 6.4/6.1 |
| Rebounds per game | 40.0/36.3 | 35.2/33.3 |
| Offensive rebounds/game | 11.7/11.0 | 10.5/9.1 |
| Rebounding margin | +6.1/+2.4 | -1.0/-1.1 |
| Assists per game | 17.2/17.3 | 13.5/14.3 |
| Turnovers per game | 9.5/8.5 | 11.3/12.2 |
| Assist-to-turnover ratio | 1.8/2.0 | 1.2/1.2 |
| Turnovers forced/game | 9.7/9.8 | 13.2/11.3 |
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | SU |
| Overall ranking | 25 | 70 |
| Offensive efficiency | 123.6 (18) | 115.0 (83) |
| Defensive efficiency | 102.1 (53) | 103.3 (69) |
| Possession length | 16.4 (69) | 16.7 (92) |
| Effective FG% | 55.3 (45) | 53.3 (98) |
| Turnover % | 13.6 (13) | 16.4 (138) |
| Offensive rebound % | 33.8 (86) | 30.2 (200) |
| FTA/FGA | 39.4 (80) | 38.6 (103) |
| 3FGA/FGA | 42.6 (122) | 36.6 (241) |
| Assist/FG% | 59.4 (38) | 49.2 (274) |
| Strength of schedule | 64 | 81 |
Series: UNC 18, Syracuse 7
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Duke | 9–0 | 20–1 | 2 |
| No. 22 Clemson | 8–1 | 18–4 | 31 |
| No. 17 Virginia | 7–2 | 18–3 | 18 |
| N.C. State | 7–2 | 16–6 | 26 |
| Miami | 6–3 | 17–5 | 39 |
| No. 16 North Carolina | 5–3 | 17–4 | 25 |
| No. 20 Louisville | 5–4 | 15–6 | 17 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–5 | 16–7 | 56 |
| SMU | 4–4 | 15–6 | 34 |
| California | 4–5 | 16–6 | 51 |
| Syracuse | 4–5 | 13–9 | 78 |
| Stanford | 3–6 | 14–8 | 77 |
| Florida State | 3–6 | 10–12 | 102 |
| Boston College | 2–6 | 9–12 | 152 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–7 | 11–11 | 143 |
| Notre Dame | 2–7 | 11–11 | 85 |
| Wake Forest | 2–7 | 11–11 | 70 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–7 | 9–13 | 114 |
* — Through Saturday games
Saturday’s games
No. 16 North Carolina 91, Georgia Tech 75
No. 4 Duke 72, Virginia Tech 58
N.C. State 96, Wake Forest 78
No. 22 Clemson 63, Pittsburgh 52
No. 17 Virginia 73, Boston College 66
No. 23 Louisville 88, SMU 74
California 86, Miami 81
Florida State 88, Stanford 80
Syracuse 86, Notre Dame 72
Monday’s game
Syracuse at No. 16 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
Boston College at No. 4 Duke, 7 p.m., ACC Network
Pittsburgh at No. 17 Virginia, 9 p.m., ACC Network
N.C. State at SMU, 9 p.m, ESPN2
Wednesday’s games
Notre Dame at No. 20 Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Georgia Tech at California, 8 p.m., ACC Network
No. 22 Clemson at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACC Network
Saturday’s games
Syracuse at No. 17 Virginia, noon
No. 20 Louisville at Wake Forest, noon, ACC Network
Virginia Tech at N.C. State, 1:30, The CW
Miami at Boston College, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at Pittsburgh, 3:45, The CW
Florida State at Notre Dame, 4 p.m., ACC Network
No. 4 Duke at No. 16 North Carolina, 6:30, ESPN
No. 22 Clemson at California, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Georgia Tech at Stanford, 8 p.m., ESPNU
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 13 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. 14 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. 7 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. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 17 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 4 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. 20 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 22 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo via cuse.com
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