Tuesday night against Syracuse showed one thing – the UNC men’s basketball team is nowhere near a National Championship contender.
Losing 86-79 to the Orange (16-9, 7-7 ACC) was a far cry from the original matchup, when North Carolina dominated in a 36-point victory on Saturday, Jan. 13. The Tar Heels looked like a true title favorite last month, in the midst of a historic defensive stretch and having virtually everyone step up to make shots.
UNC didn’t play horrible basketball, but it didn’t play well, either. Tuesday was North Carolina’s third time allowing 80 points in a game this month, after not allowing an opponent to score more than 74 in January.
Syracuse enjoyed a historic offensive night, shooting 62.5 percent from the field. Judah Mintz and JJ Starling both scored 20 points, while not a single Tar Heel reached that mark. On the bright side, Cormac Ryan played all 40 minutes and scored in double-digits for the first time in January.
North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis played his bench, but no one saw more minutes than Seth Trimble with 11. You could make the case UNC players were tired, but they appeared more frustrated with not being able to break Syracuse’s zone.
Let’s see exactly what Hubert had to say after the Tar Heels’ third loss in five games: