Syracuse basketball is a small betting underdog when it will host No. 16 North Carolina on Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Tar Heels (20-6 overall, 8-5 in ACC) will be without their best player and could be without another key player.
FanDuel has the Orange (15-12 overall, 6-8 in ACC) as a 1.5-point betting underdog to UNC, with the over/under set at 153.5 points. In early February, in Chapel Hill, N.C., the 'Cuse clawed back from being down by 32 points in the second half to the Tar Heels but ultimately lost by 10 points.
Per injury reports submitted to the Atlantic Coast Conference on Friday evening, Tar Heels freshman big man Caleb Wilson is out, while junior center Henri Veesaar is listed as questionable. Another injury report will be submitted to the ACC by both teams two hours before Saturday's conference clash.
The 6-foot-10 Wilson is averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.5 steals per game while making 57.8 percent from the field. The 7-foot Veesaar averages 16.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 blocks per contest while hitting on 61.5 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Syracuse basketball
NCAA NET ranking: No. 72 overall
Home record: 12-4
Neutral-site record: 1-3
Road record: 2-5
Quadrant-one record: 1-7
Quadrant-two record: 3-3
Quadrant-three record: 4-2
Quadrant-four record: 7-0
KenPom rating: No. 73 overall
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: No. 78
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: No. 81
North Carolina
NCAA NET ranking: No. 28 overall
Home record: 15-0
Neutral-site record: 2-1
Road record: 3-5
Quadrant-one record: 5-6
Quadrant-two record: 2-0
Quadrant-three record: 8-0
Quadrant-four record: 5-0
KenPom rating: No. 33 overall
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: No. 30
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: No. 46
The Tar Heels and Syracuse basketball are scheduled to tip off at 1 pm EST on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Dome, with television coverage on ABC. In their all-time series together, the 'Cuse is just 7-19 against UNC.
This is a quadrant-one opportunity for the Orange. North Carolina is a strong rebounding team, which could prove an issue for SU, especially on the defensive glass. The fact that Wilson is out, and Syracuse basketball is playing at home, gives the 'Cuse a big-time chance to pick up a quadrant-one success.