Syracuse Basketball: No. 7 North Carolina crushes ‘Cuse in worst-ever ACC loss for SU

Syracuse basketball was thoroughly dominated by No. 7 North Carolina in Chapel, N.C., on Saturday afternoon, falling 103-67 in a dreadful performance by the Orange in a key Atlantic Coast Conference clash that aired on ESPN.

The ‘Cuse, which had been 8-2 over its past 10 games, had an opportunity to pick up a coveted quadrant-one victory against UNC from the Dean E. Smith Center.

The Tar Heels, though, steamrolled the Orange on glass, in the interior, and out in transition, among others things, as the ‘Cuse suffered its largest-ever ACC setback since joining the league from the Big East Conference during the 2013-14 campaign, according to the ESPN broadcast team.

There’s no shame in losing to a top-10 opponent on the road, especially given that junior center Naheem McLeod was unavailable, UNC has never lost to the ‘Cuse at home, and North Carolina has pretty much owned Syracuse basketball in their all-time series together.

However, the Orange didn’t come at all close to making this a respectable game. I love my alma mater, but the ‘Cuse embarrassed itself on Saturday afternoon in a national broadcast.

Syracuse basketball got smoked by No. 7 North Carolina on the road.

The Tar Heels (13-3, 5-0 in the ACC) have won six straight in the current 2023-24 season. They look every bit the part of a Final Four contender and the premier squad in the ACC.

What frustrated me about Saturday afternoon’s debacle is that in the Orange’s prior four losses (to Tennessee, Gonzaga, Virginia and Duke), Syracuse basketball at least hung around with its opponents for part of those affairs.

That wasn’t really the case versus UNC, which dominated the ‘Cuse (11-5, 2-3 in the ACC) from start to finish. Syracuse basketball shot just 37 percent from the field, as compared to 48 percent for North Carolina.

Neither squad was good from beyond the arc. But the Tar Heels handled the Orange on the glass, 53-30, and that included 19 offensive rebounds for UNC.

As such, North Carolina held a 22-6 edge in second-chance points, along with 39-19 in bench points, 58-32 in paint points, 20-9 in fast-break points, and 16-8 in assists.

Syracuse basketball players didn’t take care of the ball well, committing 17 turnovers, although the Tar Heels did commit 14 miscues of their own.

Only three ‘Cuse players reached double-figures in scoring. Sophomore point guard Judah Mintz led the Orange with 21 points, but he struggled a bit from the field, going 7-of-17.

Sophomore guard/wing Quadir Copeland chipped in 16 points, although he committed a half-dozen turnovers.

Sophomore forward Chris Bell tallied 13 points and was 3-of-3 from long range. He only had one rebound, though, and I’m sure Syracuse basketball fans will pounce on that.

Now Syracuse basketball will have to regroup. Up next, the ‘Cuse hits the road again, playing at Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Jan. 16. The tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm, with television coverage on ESPN2.

This is an ACC rematch, as the Orange defeated the Panthers by eight points on the Hill in late December.