UNC Basketball: Syracuse vs. North Carolina game preview

UNC Seniors Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige play in their final game at the Dean Dome

The North Carolina Tar Heels (23-6, 12-4 ACC) will attempt to rebound from a heartbreaking loss to Virginia on Saturday. On Monday,  they will face the Syracuse Orange (19-10, 9-7 ACC), a team they already beat. In the first meeting between these two team earlier this season, Carolina won 84-73.

The first game was dominated by the Tar Heels on the offensive end. The victory came down to the fact that Carolina shot better. UNC shot 52.5% (32-61 field goals) whereas Syracuse shot 42.9% (27-63). Both teams were close to even in the rebound category (Syracuse 35 total rebounds, UNC 33 total rebounds). The Tar Heels contested a great deal of Syracuse’s shots.

Syracuse double-teamed Brice Johnson, focusing their strategy on shutting him down. Johnson responded by having a career-high eight assists, spreading the ball to his teammates. He fed fellow Tar Heel forward Isaiah Hicks on several field goals. Hicks finished the game with 21 points and eight rebounds off the bench in 22 minutes. Johnson scored 16 points along with four rebounds. Justin Jackson added 16 points and Joel Berry II tallied 14 points, four assists and four steals.

Marcus Paige struggled in scoring. Although he had 3 points (1-8 field goals, 1-3 three-point field goals) in this game, he contributed in other areas. Paige grabbed six rebounds and had eight assists. During a slump, the best thing a player can do is help other teammates score. Paige exemplified this a great deal against Syracuse.

Syracuse’s Trevor Cooney lit up Carolina for 27 points in the first game and freshman Malachi Richardson had 16 points in the first game. Syracuse’s bench produced just two points in the first game, which was a big weakness.

Their star player, Michael Gbinije (a former Duke player), struggled to score against UNC. Although he finished the game with 10 points (3-13 field goals, 0-6 three-point field goals), he had four assists and six rebounds. Expect him to be active in Monday’s game. Gbinije is coming off a career-high 34-point game against North Carolina State on Saturday night. In that game, he made 11 of his 18 field goals (61%). Gbinije connected on 8 of his 13 three-point field goals (61.5% three-point percentage).

If Cooney and Gbinije are hot, then it will be a long night for the Tar Heels. Reports have surfaced that Carolina’s Berry spoke to his teammates about not giving 100% on defense. If this is true, expect UNC to make a statement tonight with their defense. Prediction: Carolina wins by at least 10 points again. The game will be close in the beginning, then the Tar Heels will pull away. Expect big games from UNC’s Berry and Johnson.

This season, Johnson has been on a tear. Carolina will feed him the ball early to get the offense going. Running the offense through their best player will solidify a victory. If Paige does not shoot his way out of the slump, then Carolina will turn to Berry and Jackson to offset Johnson’s scoring. Hicks is another player, who could possibly light up the box score.

WHAT? Syracuse Orange @ North Carolina Tar Heels
WHEN? Monday, February 29, 2016
TIME? 7:00 p.m. E.T.
WHERE? Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Dean E. Smith Center
TV? ESPN and GoHeelsTV
RADIO? Tar Heel Sports Network
PREDICTION? UNC beats Syracuse, 85-72