UNC Basketball vs. Syracuse: Game preview, info, prediction and more

The UNC Basketball program returns to the court hoping to build a winning streak as the regular season winds down in 2020

The North Carolina Tar Heels are fresh off a sweep of N.C. State and are looking to build a winning streak with just three games left in the regular season. There are just 10 days left in this regular season and UNC is hoping to some how get out of the cellar in the Atlantic Coast Conference before the tournament.

UNC has Syracuse, Wake Forest and a trip to Duke on the schedule so it won’t be easy but getting a win on the road this Saturday would be huge.

It won’t be easy, however.

The Tar Heels have really struggled to shoot the ball this season and they are going up against a tough zone defense that Syracuse is known for running. That Cuse defense can give teams fits and if UNC can’t solve it or struggles to shoot the ball from the perimeter, they could be in some trouble.

While UNC is hoping to get out of the cellar, the Orange are on the outside of the bubble with a 16-12 overall record and 9-8 in the ACC. They need to win their final three games plus make a deep run in the ACC Tournament to have any hope. The Orange are just 2-6 in Quad 1 chances this season, struggling to make the most of their opportunities. You could say this is the biggest game of the year for Syracuse and that will be the case for each of the final three game they have left.

While Syracuse uses that patent defense, they are led by forward Elijah Hughes on the offensive end. The junior is averaging 18.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game so far this season, being by far the Orange’s best player.

On the perimeter, Syracuse can be tough to defend with Hughes as well as sophomore Buddy Boeheim. The son of head coach Jim Boeheim is averaging 15 points per game and is shooting 38.3 percent from the three-point line. That goes up to 40 percent while at home and he can be a tough matchup on the perimeter.

For North Carolina, they are going to need to keep an eye on Boeheim as well as the post where Hughes can hurt them. UNC will need to bring their A-game on defense if they want a chance in winning on Saturday.

What to Watch For

That damn zone defense. The biggest key to this game will be whether or not the Tar Heels can figure it out on the offensive end and beat that Syracuse zone defense. Head coach Roy Williams has seen this defense multiple times throughout his career and some of the current players have experience as well.

But what worries me is that UNC’s struggles on offense this year will impact how they fare against this defense.

Cuse forces you to take long, contested shots and the Tar Heels haven’t been good shooting the ball this season. Finding the middle of the zone and kicking it out to the open man will be one way the Tar Heels can find success. Getting Garrison Brooks or Armando Bacot into the center of that zone defense and letting them draw a crowd will be huge. Let’s see if UNC can execute that.

Player to Watch

Christian Keeling. It was a rough start to the season for the graduate transfer but lately he’s been turning things around. He’s scored in double-digit points in five of his last seven games including dropping 16 vs. N.C. State on Tuesday. In the two games he didn’t finish in double-digits, he scored 9 points in both games.

Keeling has been shooting the rock a lot better, shooting over 50 percent during that span in five games.

While overall it will be considered a disappointing year for Keeling, maybe his hot play of late can help the Tar Heels in some way. Getting a win over Syracuse on Sunday would be a great start.

What you need to know

What?  North Carolina 11-17 (4-13 in ACC) at Syracuse 16-12 (9-8 in ACC)
When? Tuesday, Feb. 29, 4:00 p.m. ET
Where? Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York
TV? ESPN
Radio? Tar Heel Sports Network
All-time series? UNC leads 12-4
Last meeting? UNC beat Syracuse 93-85 on Feb. 26, 2019
Line? NA
Prediction? Syracuse 68, UNC 63