Being a ranked team and going on the road is no easy task in college basketball but that’s especially the case this season. And the latest team to find that out was North Carolina.
The No. 7 Tar Heels stumbled on the road again on Tuesday night, falling to Syracuse 86-79. While North Carolina was able to battle back in the second half and even take a one-point lead, Syracuse had the answer and grabbed the lead for good down the stretch.
And it was actually a historic shooting night for the Orange against North Carolina.
Syracuse shot 62.5 percent from the field in this game including 47.1 percent from the three-point line. That shooting percentage was the second-highest against North Carolina in the post-Dean Smith era. Yeah, that’s right…..
Syracuse shot 62.5% from the field, the 2nd-best by a North Carolina opponent since Dean Smith retired.
Only Pitt in Feb. 2015 shot better (64.9%).
— Bryan Ives (@awaytoworthy) February 14, 2024
The only team better was Pitt who shot 64.9 percent from the field back in 2015.
While UNC really couldn’t stop the driving into the paint, Syracuse still shot the ball really well from the field. They made open and contested looks including a dagger three on a bank shot from about 28 feet out with UNC leading by 1.
It didn’t matter what UNC tried on defense, it was one of those nights for Syracuse and sometimes you have to tip your cap. Let’s just hope this doesn’t carry over for UNC and they can amp up the defense with a month to go before the NCAA Tournament.
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