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

After an impressive 78-70 victory over 11th ranked Florida State, the UNC Basketball program has a quick turnaround before they face off against the Syracuse Orange on Monday night at the Carrier Dome.

The Tar Heels clawed their way back into the game against the Seminoles after being down by as much as 16 in the first half. The game gave Carolina a much-needed statement win and greatly improved the Heels tournament odds.

The Tar Heels have been inconsistent, to say the least, after falling flat and losing by 13 to a below .500 Marquette team, the Tar Heels quickly turned it around against the 11th ranked Seminoles on Saturday. But with two regular season games left, UNC will need to be on top of their game here in the final week and that begins on Monday.

Syracuse is still fighting for a tournament spot and they have a talented roster with an accomplished coach in Jim Boeheim. The Orange are currently 13-9 with a 7-7 record in the ACC, this puts them at 9th place in the conference, needing some wins and a deep run in the conference tournament to have a chance.

The Orange are coming off two back-to-back conference losses to Duke and Georgia Tech, the Orange will be aggressive and try to get a signature win for themselves. That said, Syracuse hasn’t won a game against Carolina at the Carrier Dome since 2014.

Syracuse is led by forward Alan Griffin and guard Buddy Boeheim, who both average just over 15 points per game.  Behind these two are Quincy Guerrier and Marek Dolezaj who are both long forwards and lead the team in rebounding along with Griffin.

Quincy Guerrier was the game’s leading scorer in the first meeting of these two teams earlier this season in Chapel Hill. He had 23 points to go along with 11 rebounds, the Tar Heels were victorious though, winning the game 81-75.

Key to victory for UNC Basketball

Protect the paint and get rebounds. Guerrier and Griffin are two big forwards with big scoring potential and excellent frontcourt awareness. The Heels will have to defend these two in the paint and continue blocking out on offense and defense. The Tar Heels lead the nation in offensive rebound percentage, keeping this up will be a huge factor in the game.

The guards for UNC will need to step up, the bigs for Syracuse are aggressive on both offense and defense. This means that Caleb Love and Leaky Black will both need to step up and knock down some shots. Caleb Love, R.J. Davis, and Kerwin Walton all scored in double figures, another good scoring night for the guards is another key to victory.

Something to watch for

Walker Kessler! What a show he put on for the fans that were finally able to return to the Dean Dome. He has proven to be a versatile scorer and standing at 7’1″ he will be a force in this game and many games to come for UNC Basketball

Watch for Walker Kessler to get more minutes along with R.J. Davis, as they both put up big numbers, coming off the bench last night against the Seminoles

What you need to know

WHAT? North Carolina Tar Heels(15-8, 9-5 ACC) @ Syracuse Orange (13-9, 7-7 ACC)

WHEN? Monday, March 1st at 7:00 p.m. EST

WHERE? Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York

TV? ESPN

RADIO? Tar Heel Sports Network

LINE? N/A

LAST MEETING? UNC beat Syracuse 81-75 on January 12th, 2021

ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads 14-5

PREDICTION? UNC 79, Syracuse 73

For more on the UNC Basketball program including a recap of this game, please check back with Keeping It Heel.