CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Syracuse’s post options start and stop with Rakeem Christmas. North Carolina’s post options start and seemingly don’t end.

The 6-foot-9, 270-pound Kennedy Meeks. The 6-foot-9, but wiry 228-pound Brice Johnson. The 6-foot-10, 280-pound Joel James. And more length elsewhere.

All composed a UNC group that outmuscled the Orange’s thin rotation.

In a battle of the bigs, Christmas put up a valiant effort after an underwhelming first half. But his 14-point second half and flawless work from the free-throw line weren’t enough for Syracuse (14-7, 5-3 Atlantic Coast) to keep pace with No. 13 North Carolina’s (17-4, 7-1) stacked frontcourt in SU’s 93-83 loss Monday night in the Dean E. Smith Center.

After just a 1-for-5 shooting performance in the opening 20 minutes, Christmas reverted into the producer the Orange needs him to be. But as the only true back-to-the-basket post scorer in Syracuse’s rotation, he was neutralized by the Tar Heels’ abundance of size up front.

UNC out-boarded the Orange, 42-27, and outscored Syracuse from the paint, 36-24.

“We’ve hung in there on the boards for the most part this year,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said, “but they’re big and strong and more physical than anybody we’ve played.

“(Christmas) had his work cut out for him today.”

The big man connected from the left block to start the game for the Orange, but that would be it from the field for him in the first half.

Christmas missed a pair of hook shots, double-dribbled a possession away and bobbled a touch on the right block that Johnson pounced on for a jump ball. And when the SU senior missed his first shot of the second half, his mark dropped to 1-for-6 from the field.

“They were throwing a lot of big bodies at me,” Christmas said. “Just tried to get the ball and do what I do best. Just try to get around people.”

Still, the Orange was out in front of the No. 13 team in the country by as much as six points in the first seven minutes of the second half.

And although Syracuse’s leading scorer was worlds better from the free-throw line than he was against Miami on Saturday, he had only attempted four second-half shots from the floor by the six-minute mark — and made three of them.

“It was impressive,” guard Trevor Cooney said. “They were throwing different guys at him and he just continued to score over them and that’s what he does.”

When Christmas hit a low-angle shot off the glass from the baseline to make it 70-68 UNC with 5:10 left, it was his first shot attempt in six minutes of game time.

Meanwhile, Meeks and Johnson were on their way to shooting a combined 9-for-11 from the field in the second half for 26 points with 15 rebounds — two more than the Orange grabbed as a team in the final 20 minutes.

Without any concern for foul trouble due to North Carolina’s depth, Meeks sealed off Christmas for three easy post-up buckets and Johnson used his length to grab 11 rebounds in the game. SU’s rotation, barely seven men, doesn’t have the luxury of fearlessness.

Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige answered Christmas’ baseline hook shot with a jumper. Christmas then responded with another bucket from the paint.

“It wasn’t smart, really, to go away from him,” forward Michael Gbinije said.

But that would be the senior’s last shot attempt until he air-balled a deep two with 19 seconds left.

The final stat line — 22 points and 12 rebounds — was nothing new for Christmas. Neither was the Orange’s dependence on him in the second half.

But that many competent bodies down low wasn’t something Syracuse had seen or was capable of handling Monday night.

Said Boeheim: “We just don’t have enough size in there to help him.”

Published on January 26, 2015 at 11:41 pm

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb