With 10 minutes remaining in the second half, it felt like Tar Heel fans were going to have a smooth, stress-free evening ahead.
However, North Carolina had other plans.
Fortunately, the UNC basketball program built a big enough lead to sustain a huge run by the Orange to secure a 10-point victory on Monday night in Chapel Hill. The win snaps the Tar Heels' previous three-game losing streak in midweek games before taking on rival Duke.
Two big runs
The turning points for the Tar Heels came on two specific runs: one at the end of the first half and one at the start of the second half.
North Carolina closed out the first 20 minutes of action on a 12-3 run, securing a 14-point lead into the break. When the two teams returned to the floor, the Tar Heels poured it on, going on a 23-8 run to put the game out of reach.
Or so we thought.
Syracuse's run
The Tar Heels built as much as a 32-point lead, but Syracuse was determined to stay in the game.
It took time, as Syracuse found itself trailing by 20 with 3:42 to go. A 9-0 run in 51 seconds of game time played a pivotal role in them being able to chop the Tar Heels lead down to as low as six with 42 seconds remaining.
The Tar Heels found a way to hold on, but it was evident that they took their foot off the gas.
Late game woes
One of the themes of the Hubert Davis era has been the Tar Heels inability to produce offensively down the stretch. UNC went cold once again, and the mix of resting starters/inefficient play from reserves contributed to Syracuse's second-half surge.
While the game felt like it would be a positive one leading up to Duke on Saturday night, it's more of a "how did the Tar Heels collapse that badly to allow the Orange back into the game?
Key Contributors
Caleb Wilson led the Tar Heels with 22 points, knocking down 10 of his 13 attempts from the free-throw line. He also grabbed 9 rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
Henri Veesaar had another strong outing, recording his 12th double-double of the season, finishing the night with an efficient 17 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
Jonathan Powell and Luka Bogavac provided strong offensive efforts off the bench, contributing for 22 points while knocking down eight of 11 shots from the floor. The duo also connected four times beyond-the-arc, which served as half of UNC's three-pointers made on the night.
Now, the Tar Heels will prep for Duke, a game that will be a dogfight throughout. One thing is for sure: UNC must play a full 40-minute game if they want to come out victorious, and need to quickly erase the brutal second half stretch that they allowed Syracuse to have on Monday night.