After taking care of Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta, Georgia, the Tar Heels return home for a quick turnaround game as they host Syracuse to continue ACC play.
Of course, the focus of this week for North Carolina is Saturday's matchup with rival Duke, but before we get there, the Tar Heels have another game they must handle first.
While it's hard (due to various factors), the Tar Heels can't afford to overlook the visiting Orange, a team who has struggled as of late but is aiming to build some momentum after defeating Notre Dame over the weekend.
After a brutal West Coast trip, UNC has won three in a row, two of which have come on the road. The Orange lost four in a row before snapping the losing streak on Saturday, as Adrian Autry hopes his team is ready to go on a second half surge.
While North Carolina likely wouldn't care if Syracuse goes on a February run, they much prefer that it begin after they leave Chapel Hill with a loss.
2025-2026 Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall record: 17-4
Conference Record: 5-3
Home Record: 12-0
Away Record: 3-3
Neutral Site Record: 2-1
Top-25 Wins: 3
Syracuse Orange
Overall record: 13-9
Conference Record: 4-5
Home Record: 11-4
Away Record: 2-2
Neutral Site Record: 0-3
Key Players
North Carolina
Caleb Wilson (Fr. Forward)- 20.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists
Henri Veesaar (Jr. Center)- 16.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists
Seth Trimble (Sr. Guard)- 14.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists
Syracuse
Donnie Freeman (So. Forward)- 18.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists
J.J Starling (Sr. Guard)- 12.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Nate Kingz (Sr. Guard)- 11.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
Avoid the trap!
Games like these have "trap game" written all over them.
Serving as the closest thing to a traditional back-to-back, this game, against an opponent who is just above the .500 mark, with Duke looming just a few days later in Chapel Hill.
Yeah, it's vitally important that the Tar Heels come out of the gate swinging early.
The good thing is, the ball movement and defensive effort have been much better during the team's three-game winning streak. It seems like Hubert Davis' squad is starting to figure things out, as the hope is that they will continue to build upon it on Monday night.
Something to Watch For
Luka Bogavac has been a true spark off the bench over the last two games, scoring 30 combined points while knocking down six shots from beyond-the-arc.
If Bogavac can continue providing that type of efficient (and effective) production, this Tar Heels team will be much better because of it. With so much attention surrounding Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, the Tar Heels need guys like Bogavac to consistently knock down shots, as the last two games are perfect samples of what this team can do when teams have to respect UNC's shooters.
Looking more comfortable by the day, can Bogavac continue to grow in this role that he's currently playing for this team?
Projected Starters
No. 3- Derek Dixon
No. 4- Jaydon Young
No. 7- Seth Trimble
No. 8- Caleb Wilson
No. 13- Henri Veesaar