On Monday, Syracuse basketball travels to Chapel Hill to take on #7 North Carolina Tar Heels on the road in a pivotal ACC battle.
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Not only is this an incredibly important game for the Syracuse basketball, but it also could be their most difficult. I’d like to start with saying that this game would be meaningless if not for the performance by Michael Gbinije on senior night. Gbinije had a masterful performance, with career highs in points (34) and three pointers (8). He also added 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks. It was a truly incredible performance for the fifth year senior as he really put the team on his back.
Other than Gbinije, the Orange struggled for the most part, as Trevor Cooney was a ghost once again, only contributing five points. It’s quite clear that Gbinije is the guy to watch tomorrow, but the question is, will his counterpart show up? Cooney needs to bounce back and be able to hit shots against the Tar Heels. Gbinije isn’t going to be able to win this game solo, like he basically did against NC State. The Orange can’t afford to have Cooney shoot 0-6 from the three-point line like yesterday.
The freshman are going to need to make an impact as well. Since Tyler Roberson is officially in Jim Boeheim’s dog house, Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon are going to need to be a force to be reckoned with. Both are coming off solid games and another good performance could be the difference between a win and a loss, especially if Cooney continues to struggle.
North Carolina is one of the best teams in the country and that is not to be forgotten. They have already defeated the Orange handily this year, 84-73, when the Orange played a pretty solid game. If Syracuse basketball wants any chance to win this game, they need at least five of their core guys to be on their game. Especially playing on the road, the Orange simply can’t afford to fall behind early.
The Tar Heel’s star to watch on Monday is senior Bryce Johnson, who is averaging an impressive 17 points and 10 rebounds per contest. He is coming off a shaky game in their loss to Virginia, only putting up 12 points and a hefty 5 turnovers and looking to rebound.
A huge reason why UNC is so good is their stability and depth. Justin Jackson, Marcus Paige, and Joel Berry III are all averaging 12 points and play just 29 minutes. Outside of their starting five, they still have four guys who are impact players and get big minutes. It’s going to be a challenge for the Orange, as they are an incredibly shallow team and if one or two guys struggle, the team struggles.
Next: Gbinije Leads Cuse to Win Over NC State
Syracuse basketball is going to need to work hard on both ends of the court, rebound well, shoot well, and not turn the ball over if they want to stay in the game. Since North Carolina is coming off a loss, they are most likely going to be very focused against us and it will require a team effort to get a victory. Hopefully the Orange can pull off the upset and solidify their NCAA Tournament chances.
Check back tomorrow as we’ll be going over the four keys to the game. Also make sure you give us a follow on Twitter as we will be live tweeting the game. Stop by after the contest as well for a full recap.