UNC looking for answers at Syracuse

by Sharon Thorsland

Things are going from bad to worse for North Carolina, who barely escaped with a win over Pitt on Saturday before getting pummeled at Clemson Monday night. The Tar Heels looked like a shell of the team that started the season competing and fighting against top five opponents like Kansas, Auburn, and Florida. There was no fight, no comeback, no energy in the loss to the Tigers that dropped the Heels to 14-11 on the season and just 7-6 in the ACC. Now they’ve got to lick their wounds and head north for a match up with Syracuse. The Orange is struggling even more than the Tar Heels, they’re 11-14 overall and 5-9 in league play after a loss to Miami. But the Carrier dome has long been a very difficult place to play, and the Orange are 9-5 at home this season. Tip-off is set for 6:00 Saturday on WBT.

Syracuse is pretty average when it comes to scoring, they score 74.6 points per game with only three players averaging in double digits. Junior JJ Starling leads the way. The 6’4 guard is one of the top scorers in the ACC, averaging nearly 19 points per game. Forward Donnie Freeman chips in over 13 points and nearly eight rebounds a contest. In the middle it’s center Eddie Lampkin, who is huge at 6’11 and 265 pounds. The Colorado transfer will likely give the Heels plenty of problems, he’s averaging over 10 points and nine rebounds a game and is very physical. That’s something UNC has struggled with all season. This would be a great time for Jalen Washington to step up his play and match that physicality.

The good news for UNC is that RJ Davis seems to have finally found his shot. The fifth year senior is averaging 18 points a game and over 45% from three over the past seven games. He’ll need to keep that up against the Orange for the Tar Heels to have a chance to win.

The Tar Heels have not been playing good basketball, especially on the road – they’ve lost four straight away from Chapel Hill. They’ve also lost two of their last three games at Syracuse, including a seven-point loss last season. So the stats certainly aren’t on their side. But UNC has way more talent on paper and certainly has the ability to win. If the Heels want any chance of turning their season around, this is is a must-win. Go Tar Heels