Syracuse basketball will face off against North Carolina in the second round of the ACC Tournament. Here is our full predictions for the game.
Syracuse basketball enjoyed a first-round bye thanks to their clinching of the sixth seed in the ACC Tournament. As expected the Orange will be facing North Carolina in the second round of the conference tourney.
The Tar Heels blew the doors off of Virginia Tech 78-56 in the opening round continuing their red hot play of late. While North Carolina on the surface had a very disappointing season at 14-18 overall and 6-14 in ACC play, they’ve really picked it up recently.
UNC has won four out of its last five games including a 92-79 smattering of the Orange in the loud house. The combination of Cole Anthony and Garrison Brooks has been nearly impossible to stop and that’ll be the task for Syracuse if they have any hopes of beating North Carolina in the ACC Tournament.
The Orange and the Tar Heels are scheduled to tip-off at 9:00 p.m. in the Greensboro Coliseum. The winner of that matchup will continue on to the third round of the ACC Tournament vs the Louisville Cardinals. That game will also tip-off at 9:00 p.m.
Although before we get there, we have our full crystal ball predictions for this Syracuse vs North Carolina matchup in the conference tourney. Plus we break down all the top x-factors to keep an eye out for in this matchup.
Paul A. Esden Jr, Site Expert (16-15)
Syracuse basketball got embarrassed in the regular-season finale on the road vs Miami. The Orange lost to a terrible team, with a bad record, and blew their chance at the fifth seed in the ACC Tournament.
It left a sour taste in every Syracuse fan’s mouth and confidence is at an all-time low for this squad heading into a make-or-break ACC Tournament run. Although the Orange has zero time to feel bad for themselves because they’ve got a very game opponent in the North Carolina Tar Heels on their plate next.
This was the worst-case scenario, UNC is arguably the most dangerous team in this entire ACC Tournament. Don’t be fooled by their piss poor record, this team has capable scorers and is a better rebounding team than the box score indicates.
Just a few games ago the Orange got blown out on their own home floor thanks to a combined 51 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists, and seven threes from Cole Anthony and Garrison Brooks.
It wasn’t all bad for Syracuse, Bourama Sidibe had his best game in years and the team made some big plays. But their ultimate Achilles heel in this game and for the better part of the last 15 games has been their lack of perimeter presence.
The Orange were 6-of-24 from distance while UNC was 11-of-26 from deep. That’s 15 points, Syracuse lost by 13 to UNC. If this team can stroke it from a different area code, they can win this game, if they can’t, they’ll lose.
Sadly I’ll take North Carolina 90 to 77, hopefully, the Orange proves me wrong.
Joe Arrigo, contributor (21-10)
Syracuse fans are heading into the ACC Tournament extremely worried. The team is coming off a brutal loss on the road to a bad Miami team, but even once that game went final, Orange fans just hoped that if Syracuse can avoid North Carolina in their first game of the conference tournament, that they could still possibly make a run.
However, here we are with a Syracuse vs North Carolina matchup in Greensboro with the season on the line. The Tar Heels destroyed Virginia Tech last night in front of a crowd full of Carolina fans. North Carolina is looking at this ACC tournament the same way Syracuse is. Both of these teams need to win this whole tournament if they want to go to the Big Dance.
As I dive into this matchup, it’s really hard for me to see a way Syracuse wins tonight. North Carlina has been a completely different team when Cole Anthony is playing, as we saw back on February 29th inside the Carrier Dome.
Anthony made 7 shots from behind the arc in their first matchup, and as a team, North Carolina scored and rebounded the ball at will. If Syracuse couldn’t impose their will a little bit in the friendly confines of Central New York, then I have no clue as to how they will be able to do that tonight in Greensboro, which will basically be a home game for North Carolina.
I don’t think Syracuse will give up 92 points and I believe that this game will be closer than the matchup in the Dome, but the result will be the same.
FINAL SCORE
North Carolina 83 Syracuse 77
Mat Mlodzinski, contributor (17-14)
Syracuse – 75, UNC – 70
Can Syracuse make another conference tournament run to get into the NCAA Tournament? So far, the Orange haven’t exactly been able to do that in the ACC, but that doesn’t mean this couldn’t be the year. The Orange come in as a scary 6-seed, having the potential to rattle off a few wins if guys like Buddy Boeheim, Elijah Hughes, and Joe Girard III can get hot.
Without looking ahead, the ‘Cuse have to take it one step at a time with North Carolina. Syracuse struggled to guard Cole Anthony the first time around, but I’d expect Jim Boeheim to make some adjustments in the 2-3 zone to better defend the future lottery pick this time around. Perhaps it means playing higher up or trapping him when he gets the ball at certain places on the court. Whatever the gameplan is, the Orange need to slow him down to a low 20-point performance or fewer.
Offensively, I’ll stick with Buddy.
There’s something about the younger Boeheim that screams tournament time. It’s as simple as that little feeling you get when you know something may work, and that’s what it is with Buddy. Something just tells me that he may have a very, very good tournament.
However, I really think it has to be Bourama Sidibe who needs to step up.
I haven’t talked much about him in these predictions, but against North Carolina, he will need to play well. Recently, he has, but against a Tar Heels team that often out-rebounds Syracuse, Sidibe will need to hold his ground. I’m not calling for a 20 and 10 game, but if Sidibe can keep a few plays alive and score a couple of buckets, it will not only negate a bit of what the Heels try and pour on down low, but it also will take the pressure away from the shooters, and allow for a few more open threes for the Orange.
Syracuse advances by a slight margin and sets up a date with Louisville.
Chris Queripel, contributor (22-9)
It’s time for the ACC tournament and ‘Cuse holds the sixth seed. Syracuse faces the 14th ranked North Carolina team. Despite the difference in league seeding, this game won’t be an easy matchup.
Just a few games ago these two squads faced off and UNC got the better of Syracuse. Let’s take a look at that game before we dive into this week’s prediction.
The Tarheels topped the Orange 92-79. Garrison Brooks was a major factor with a game-high 26 points and 14 rebounds. Freshman phenom Cole Anthony also added 25 points. If it wasn’t for Anthony’s injury this season then he would earn more national recognition and Syracuse can’t let him get too comfortable.
UNC rolled through the first round of the tournament against 11th ranked Virginia Tech. They won that game 78-56. Brooks once again stood out leading the team with 20 points. Even though North Carolina has a poor overall record I wouldn’t rule them out as a formidable threat.
In fact, I believe they could be a sleeper in this tournament. Now for Syracuse, it looks like Elijah Hughes will be ready to go for game time. After missing the second half of the last game their star should be good to go. Look for Hughes to take over.
However, if multiple players aren’t able to score at will then I believe this will be a difficult matchup for Syracuse. Especially if Syracuse cannot control the paint then UNC has all the power. While this is a six versus 14 matchup I do not see it playing out that way.
This game plays out under the direction of two of the most winningest college basketball coaches of all time. It’s hard to say this but it wouldn’t surprise me if the coaching decisions played out like a chess match and determined the victor in this game. I could see it ending up either way but my gut is telling me UNC wins this game. I predict the Tar Heels win 77-72 over the Orange.
Neil Adler, contributor (20-11)
The Syracuse basketball squad has only one way to reach March Madness, and that’s by winning the Atlantic Coast Conference post-season tournament. No easy feat for the Orange, the No. 6 seed in the league event, and the ‘Cuse, unfortunately, gets a rough match-up in Wednesday night’s second-round clash.
Syracuse (17-14, 10-10) will do battle with the No. 14 seed, North Carolina (14-18, 6-14), a crew that crushed No. 11 seed Virginia Tech by 22 points on Tuesday evening in a first-round affair. The Orange and the Tar Heels will meet beginning at around 9:30 pm from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C., with ESPN2 providing television coverage.
UNC has owned the ‘Cuse in recent years, capturing nine-consecutive encounters, including a 92-79 triumph versus Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on Feb. 29. During that game, the Tar Heels connected on a whopping 51.6 percent from the field, 42.3 percent from beyond the arc and 88.2 percent from the charity stripe. Historically, North Carolina is a terrific team at scoring in the paint and dominating on the glass, and those facets held true a few weeks ago.
However, if the Tar Heels again shoot at such a high clip from deep, something that they didn’t do for much of the 2019-20 campaign, it will prove nearly impossible for the Orange to succeed. The ‘Cuse itself has to find its range from 3-point land, as Syracuse has really struggled of late with the long ball. Additionally, the Orange must contain UNC’s offensive-rebounding prowess to limit second-chance scoring opportunities for the Tar Heels.
Since Syracuse is the better seed here, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index pegs the Orange as the slight favorite to prevail, at 53.1 percent. I wish that I possessed the same optimism, but I foresee North Carolina picking up an 84-78 victory and relegating the ‘Cuse to a potential NIT berth.
Ryan Lee, contributor (22-9)
Syracuse basketball, let’s be honest, this sucks. A terrible draw for the Orange has them playing a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels, in North Carolina, in an NIT(!!!) bubble game. This is the worst possible outcome for Syracuse and the Tar Heels are playing the narrative of Cinderella.
It was less than two weeks ago that North Carolina came to Syracuse and handled the Orange. Garrison Brooks and Cole Anthony led them that night but Brooks has been the real constant the Tar Heels have needed.
In Brooks’ past seven games the forward has posted 20 points each time out. His most dominant game came in the Carrier Dome where he went for 26 points and 14 rebounds. Over the streak, Brooks has averaged 24.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, on 65 percent shooting from the field. An interior game such as Brooks is a nightmare for the Orange with their inability to keep others like ‘Cuse off the glass, the foul line, and inside for easy buckets.
Another poor matchup for the Orange is the before mentioned Anthony. He is a playmaking guard who is in his final days as a college athlete. If the Orange win Wednesday night, it could be his final game. What could prevent this from happening is Anthony’s ability to make plays off the bounce and to be too much for the top of Syracuse 2-3 zone to contain.
Anthony’s ability to play off the bounce only creates opportunities for guys like Brooks and Armando Bacot. While Anthony is far from a true point guard and playmaker for his teammates, he did have seven assists against Syracuse, one shy of his career-high.
The best hope for the Orange is to keep the ball away from the post and force Anthony in to longer contested midrange shots. Easier said than done with how the Tar Heels are currently assembled. The pieces of a preseason top-10 team are as put together as they can be with the injuries and misfortune North Carolina has faced this year.
The Tar Heels might just make a run and do the unthinkable. Will they win four more games? Most likely not, will they win at least one more…
North Carolina 84 Syracuse 70
Josh Peelman, contributor (16-15)
Syracuse did not look sharp in their last tune-up of the regular season versus Miami. However, Syracuse star forward Elijah Hughes barely played which made a huge difference in the game. The good news is he should be back for the ACC tournament.
The bad news is the Orange will play North Carolina: a team that just owned them at home just over a week ago in the Dome. The Tar Heels have had a miserable season, but are also hoping for a miracle run to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament despite their overall record.
North Carolina has length and height which have Syracuse fits last time they played, so this solid be a tough one on what should be a hometown crowd of sorts in Greensboro for UNC. The Orange will have to play tough and gritty and really fight for this win. I think the Orange can do it if their offense gels and they actually hit shots inside and out and prevent perimeter shots from Cole Anthony and others.
I see a close, but hardly satisfying win by the Orange: 63-58. Mind you, I am not confident in this pick by any means. You never know which team you’ll get from Syracuse this year on any given night. This matchup is no different.