Can we start a petition for UNC not to play anymore mid-week basketball games?
On Tuesday, North Carolina couldn’t quite get over the hump in its 86-79 loss to Syracuse. It was the third straight Tuesday loss for the Tar Heels (19-6, 11-3), who have quickly gone from a team with a multiple-game lead in the ACC to now holding a half-game lead over Duke in the conference.
UNC struggled against the Orange’s (16-9, 7-7) signature zone defense, which forced guys like Elliot Cadeau – who’s more of a drive-to-the-basket-type player, to take rushed jumpers. The Tar Heels still shot 47.5 percent from the field, but couldn’t drain shots in the biggest moments.
North Carolina’s defense also struggled big-time, allowing Syracuse to shoot an alarming 62.5 percent from the field, led by a pair of 20-point scorers in Judah Mintz (game-high 25 points) and JJ Starling (23).
This is a much different tone than January, when the Tar Heels looked like one of the ACC’s best defensive teams. UNC went 10 straight games holding opponents to 70 points or less, starting with Oklahoma back in December and ending with Florida State late January.
UNC had four double-digit scorers, led by a surprising 18 points from Cormac Ryan, but Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram were the only starters to shoot over 50 percent.
If there’s one positive about what North Carolina did, it’s the ability to climb back from large deficits. The Tar Heels were down nearly 10 at separate occasions, but saved by 3-pointers from RJ Davis and Harrison Ingram.
Player of the Game
I’m gonna go ahead and give this one to Cormac Ryan, who needed a high-scoring game in the biggest way.
Ryan scored 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field, plus a 2-of-2 mark from the charity stripe. It was Ryan’s first time since UNC’s 75-68 win over Florida State on Saturday, Jan. 27 that he reached double-digits.
If North Carolina wants to beat Virginia Tech on Saturday, it’ll be helpful for Ryan to have another high-scoring game.
What’s Next
The Tar Heels welcome the Virginia Tech Hokies to the Dean Dome on Saturday, Feb. 17 for a 2 p.m. ET tip-off.
Virginia Tech (13-10, 5-7), who once looked like a decent team in the ACC, are losers of its past three. The Hokies are playing Florida State tonight, hoping to turn their fortunes around against the conference’s fifth-place team.
Good news for UNC – Virginia Tech is just 1-6 on the road. North Carolina is 10-1 at home, but a win is no guarantee, especially after tonight’s clunker.
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