By R.L. Bynum
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Henri Veesaar was back, and so was No. 16 North Carolina’s rhythm on both ends in a bounce-back win the Tar Heels badly needed.
It wasn’t all pretty in a game that would have been more difficult against a better team, but UNC rebounded from Tuesday’s demoralizing loss, pushing the tempo in a 77–64 Quad 1 victory Saturday over Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Veesaar (19 points) didn’t look rusty after missing three games, swishing a 3-pointer on his first attempt, passing cleanly out of double-teams and scoring through contact inside against William Kyle III.
He was a big reason why Syracuse’s Donnie Freeman, who had 23 points in Chapel Hill, was held scoreless in the first half and finished with nine.
“I think we definitely disrupted him,” Veesaar said. “He got frustrated, and then, once you get frustrated, it kind of makes it easier for the defense, because [they] start taking worse shots.”
Coach Hubert Davis said the return of his 7-footer changes the geometry at both ends.
“It’s easier because he’s a guy that can consistently score in the paint, he can shoot from three, he can pass, and there’s a lot of attention on him,” Davis said. “From a defensive standpoint, even just not even necessarily blocking shots, just his size to be able to alter shots, it’s just huge.”
Zayden High, riding confidence from his first career double-double at N.C. State, complemented Veesaar’s presence with a rugged nine points and 11 rebounds, even as he fouled out late after a technical. The two big men were each a team-high +17.
He’s gone from a serviceable center giving Veesaar some rest to a solid rotation contributor after his best college game.
“Zayden was huge again for us,” Davis said. “As many good plays that he made, the one that sticks out to me was in the first half when there was a loose ball on the floor, and he dove on it. Those are the type of plays that allow you to win, the little, boring, mundane things that make big things happen.”
Syracuse (15–13, 6–9 ACC) jumped ahead 6–2 on a pair of early layups before a 15–6 UNC answer, fueled by 3-pointers from Derek Dixon and Jonathan Powell, put the Tar Heels up three with 10:35 left in the first half. Veesaar sank his first 3-point attempt to spark an 11–4 stretch to an eight-point edge, 30–22, after three High free throws with 4:49 before halftime.
Veesaar capped the half with a block on Sadiq White Jr. to preserve a 33–28 lead.
Syracuse drew even at 36 with 17:32 left and later knotted it at 44 after a Kyle steal and dunk with 12:07 remaining.
That’s when Seth Trimble seized the game. Held scoreless in the first half and limited to four points in two of his previous three games, Trimble scored all 13 of his points in the second half, including seven during a 14–4 surge that swung control. High’s corner 3, just the second of his career, stretched it to 59–48 with 7:21 to play.
“I just decided to be aggressive and stop playing like a little kid,” Trimble said. “I was just out there, and I wasn’t really assertive enough, and I was kind of just letting the game go by me, taking it for granted.”
Trimble added that attacking the glass helped jump-start his rhythm.
“I went to go rebound the ball more, and I was able to start the break, and honestly, I just passed up on too many opportunities in the first half,” Trimble said.
Davis said Trimble’s two-way burst was huge.
“He led us,” Davis said. “In the second half, his presence was felt. He was huge for us, you know, getting downhill, driving to the basket, being able to score and finish. He got steals, and that allowed us to get out into the fast break.”
Derek Dixon (7 points, 4 assists), who hit a first-half 3 and helped steady UNC’s perimeter, said the locker room challenged Trimble at the break, and he responded.
“He’s big for us. That’s the captain,” Dixon said. “We all build off his energy, and it’s on both ends, defensively and offensively.”
He pointed to a mindset shift that keyed UNC’s takeoff.
“We had a timeout where we really just decided we were gonna lock in defensively,” Dixon said. “I think Seth got in the gap and stole it, got a little breakaway dunk, gave us some energy, and we just kept building on that.”
Carolina (21–6, 9–5 ACC) put it away with a 12–6 push, going up 73–57 on a Jarin Stevenson layup with 1:58 left.
Davis praised UNC’s commitment to stacking stops with execution to sustain runs.
“In order to put runs together, it has to be a combination of execution on the offensive end, but, from a defensive standpoint, get multiple stops,” he said. “We were able to do that, and that’s why we were able to extend the lead.”
On the glass, guards joined the big men to close possessions, something Trimble said must be part of Carolina’s identity.
“We decided to go rebound,” he said. “We’re a really good rebound team. We’re a good rebounding team. Guys got involved.”
Davis liked how his team stayed on task amid the bumps and noise of the road.
“We just kept trying to find ways, and at the end, we were able to break away and extend the lead and get a really good road win against a very good Syracuse team,” he said. “Keep your eyes straight ahead, ignore all sideshow distractions.”
J.J. Starling led Syracuse (15–13, 6–9) with 22 points.
Notes
— It’s a quick turnaround for UNC, which returns home at 7 p.m. Monday (ESPN) to face No. 21 Louisville (19–7, 8–5), which hosted Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon.
— Caleb Wilson was putting up shots before the game (see video) while using his injured left hand to support the ball.
— UNC struggled at the free-throw line, going 15 of 28 (season-low 53.6%) after shooting over 70% from the line in the previous five games.|
—It was Carolina’s lowest free-throw percentage in a win with at least 25 attempts since shooting 53.3% (16 of 30) at UNCW on Nov. 8, 2019.
— Veesaar took the opening tipoff for every game he’d played in until Saturday, when Stevenson got that assignment.
— Bogavac was the point guard for several second-half possessions.
— UNC swept Syracuse in both regular-season meetings for the first time since the 2015–16 Tar Heels also beat the Orange at the Final Four in a national semifinal.
— Carolina leads the all-time series 20–7, including 7–3 in games at Syracuse.
— UNC has won 19 straight when holding opponents under 70 points.
— The Tar Heels shot 51.9% and are 10–1 when they shoot 50%. It was the first time in eight games they shot 50% from the floor.
— Carolina shot 61.5% in the second half, its best second-half shooting since 63.3% at Virginia.
— It was the fifth time this season that UNC has shot 60% in the second half (wins over Kansas, Virginia, Duke and Syracuse and the loss to Stanford).
— UNC scored 42 paint points, which tied its second-highest total in an ACC game (also 42 vs. Florida State) and were two shy of its ACC-best this season (44 at Georgia Tech).
— Powell was the only Tar Heel with multiple 3-pointers (2 of 3) and was +12, his best in an ACC game since the opener vs. Florida State on Dec. 30.
—UNC’s 19 fast-break points were its most since scoring 21 of them at Virginia.
No. 16 UNC 77, Syracuse 64
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Duke | 13–1 | 25–2 | 2 |
| No. 14 Virginia | 12–2 | 24–3 | 16 |
| Miami | 10–4 | 21–6 | 36 |
| N.C. State | 10–4 | 19–8 | 26 |
| Clemson | 10–5 | 20–8 | 32 |
| No. 16 North Carolina | 9–5 | 21–6 | 28 |
| No. 21 Louisville | 9–5 | 20–7 | 14 |
| SMU | 8–6 | 19–8 | 31 |
| Florida State | 7–7 | 14–13 | 85 |
| California | 7–7 | 19–8 | 61 |
| Virginia Tech | 7–8 | 18–10 | 56 |
| Syracuse | 6–9 | 15–13 | 72 |
| Stanford | 5–9 | 16–11 | 71 |
| Wake Forest | 5–9 | 14–13 | 58 |
| Notre Dame | 3–11 | 12–15 | 87 |
| Pittsburgh | 3–11 | 10–17 | 125 |
| Boston College | 2–12 | 9–18 | 155 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–13 | 11–17 | 170 |
* — Through Friday games
Saturday’s games
No. 16 North Carolina 77, Syracuse 64
Florida State 70, Clemson 65
Virginia Tech 82, Wake Forest 63
No. 14 Virginia 86, Miami 83
Pittsburgh 73, Notre Dame 68
No. 21 Louisville 87, Georgia Tech 70
SMU 94, Boston College 70
California 72, Stanford 66
No. 3 Duke 70, No. 2 Michigan 62
Monday’s game
No. 21 Louisville at No. 11 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
No. 3 Duke at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ESPN
N.C. State at No. 14 Virginia, 7 p.m., ACC Network
Wake Forest at Boston College, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Miami at Florida State, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Wednesday’s games
Pittsburgh at Stanford, 8 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at California, 10 p.m., ACC Network
Next Saturday’s games
No. 14 Virginia at No. Duke, noon, ESPN
N.C. State at Notre Dame, noon, The CW
Florida State at Georgia Tech, noon, ACC Network
No. 21 Louisville at Clemson, 2 p.m., ESPN2
Boston College at Miami, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Pittsburgh at California, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Syracuse at Wake Forest, 5:45, The CW
SMU at Stanford, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Virginia Tech at No. 16 North Carolina, 8:30, ESPN2
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 23 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. 8 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. 15 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. 14 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | W, 71–68 | vs. No. 3 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | L, 75–66 | at Miami | 19–5, 7–4 |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 79–65 | vs. Pittsburgh | 20–5, 8–4 |
| 17 | Tuesday | L, 82–58 | at N.C. State | 20–6, 8–5 |
| 21 | Saturday | W, 77–64 | at Syracuse | 21–6, 9–5 |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 21 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | 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 |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics
