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Syracuse has suffered plenty of embarrassing losses in its second season under Adrian Autry. A 26-point loss to Tennessee fueled the fire. Another by 27 in Brooklyn against Maryland further aided worries. Losing by 29 to Duke was expected but, again, a sign of the times.

But Tuesday evening’s loss to Miami might have been the worst of them all. Against the Hurricanes, who entered 1-11 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, SU’s defense showed no life. Miami scored 91 to outlast the Orange by seven, further hurting Syracuse’s ACC Tournament chances.

Entering Saturday, SU sat two games up for the final spot in the conference tournament. Against North Carolina, the Orange took another hit. Syracuse fell behind by eight at the half and, despite, a second-half comeback couldn’t hold off the Tar Heels’ 3-point barrage.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (11-15, 5-10 Atlantic Coast) 88-82 loss to North Carolina (15-11, 8-6 Atlantic Coast) Saturday:

Guard matchup

North Carolina’s identity this year has been in its guard play. The Tar Heels’ tallest player averaging double-digit points is 6-foot-4 freshman Ian Jackson. UNC’s starting lineup consists of three guards and two forwards, with 6-foot-9 forward Jae’Lyn Withers as its “big man.”

A sloppy brand of basketball began the day, with Eddie Lampkin Jr. turning the ball over twice as SU attempted to use its size advantage. The Tar Heels quickly got to work through one of their starting guards, Elliot Cadeau. The sophomore ripped off UNC’s first four points but failed to gain any momentum despite a full-court press at times.

Jackson entered for Seth Trimble following the first media timeout and quickly went to work, nailing a step-back 3 from the left wing. Meanwhile, Syracuse’s J.J. Starling accumulated two fouls through the first five minutes but remained in the game. Jackson added on, clearing for liftoff with a scoop and flush, pushing UNC’s lead.

Jaquan Carlos and Kyle Cuffe Jr. took on the load of Syracuse’s guard play and couldn’t get much going offensively. Jackson continued to drive and flourish, building on North Carolina’s lead as Starling sat out for an extended period, exiting with 11 minutes to play and not entering back in until the under-five mark.

Starling didn’t score until a free throw with 3:39 to play in the first half and ended with 22 points, getting going ever so late in the second frame with 20. On the other side, the Tar Heels, led by RJ Davis and Jackson, dazzled, combining for 49 points overall.

Zoning in?

As the Tar Heels began to catch fire in the opening half, Adrian Autry and Co. set out for a good, old-fashioned 2-3 zone. The Orange pressured the ball more from the wings and forced two quick turnovers on back-to-back possessions.

However, for some reason, SU shifted back to a man-to-man defense. Possibly due to leading scorer Davis substituting out, Syracuse went back to man. It allowed North Carolina to work more inside, with Jalen Washington plugging in two finishes. Ven-Allen Lubin did the same, extending UNC’s lead to 19-16 along with Jackson.

Even when Davis entered back in, Syracuse stayed with the man, and the combination of Davis and Jackson picked the Orange apart. While Autry went into his bag of tricks to try and stifle the Tar Heels, it was UNC’s defensive presence that made the biggest impact.

North Carolina totaled five blocks and five steals in the opening 20, with Trimble and Davis each having two steals apiece. The Orange didn’t have the same success, allowing UNC’s potent ball handlers to maneuver as they wished, forcing just four turnovers.

As SU cut into the deficit in the second half, it went back to a zone. Carlos and Starling were up top with Lampkin, Petar Majstorovic and Chris Bell low. Syracuse’s zone did limit the threat. But it made rebounding an issue as the Tar Heels used tap outs to the perimeter to create second chances and punish the Orange. When Naheem McLeod entered the middle of the zone, he forced UNC to work around him, further limiting it and helping toward the SU comeback effort.

Syracuse’s defense eventually allowed Withers to do too much and pull away for the final stretch, not being able to build a consistent enough wall to limit the Tar Heels even with a late press that was, at times, effective.

Deep range dead

Ah, yes. The 3-pointers have once again made their way into The Daily Orange’s observations. In recent games, SU’s hovered around 30%.

The Orange didn’t find much success from beyond the arc once again, especially in the first half. A 3-for-9 start from deep limited Syracuse’s first-half scoring. The Orange rarely even attempted 3-pointers early, starting 0-for-2. Bell eventually rang one home, and Lucas Taylor hit two rainbow arc shots nearing the end of the first half to cut into the deficit.

Jyáre Davis converted to begin the second frame, but Syracuse still made most of its money on the inside. The Tar Heels, though, were on fire from 3. They began 7-for-15, with Jackson making four. Withers opened the second half with two, as North Carolina often made the extra pass to the corner that ended in nylon.

It was far too much Carolina blue for the Orange to handle from beyond the arc. UNC finished with nine more 3s than SU, ending at a 46% clip, while Syracuse was just 4-for-13.

Late push falters

With 17:38 to play in the second half, Syracuse trailed by 11 with little hope of winning. While sticking around most of the contest, the Tar Heels were always in control, using their 3-point shooting to blow it open.

Slowly but surely, Syracuse made a push. And with just over 10 minutes to go, Starling drove through the middle, jumped into the air and floated in a shot plus the foul. The free throw tied the game at 60-60, creating a slugfest across the final minutes of play.

The Tar Heels got back to their game. Jackson knocked down another 3, Davis penetrated and SU missed its chances. With under eight minutes to go, UNC jumped back out to a six-point lead, courtesy of a crucial and-1 from Withers. After a Carlos missed midrange jumper, Withers came down and did the same, converting another three-point play.

Syracuse lost control as Lampkin threw the ball over the small stature of Carlos out of bounds and into the third row. A moving screen by Majstorovic gave North Carolina the ball back, and Davis hit a right corner 3, signaling with his right hand to the crowd as he ran back down the court. The Orange attempted another late drive, but it wasn’t nearly enough, falling in ACC play for the 10th time.

Published on February 15, 2025 at 8:38 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky