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It looked like Syracuse and No. 7 North Carolina were playing a different sport.

The Tar Heels outclassed and outmatched the Orange in nearly every fashion in their 103-67 win. It was the worst loss for Syracuse since a 39-point defeat to DePaul in 2006.

SU shot just 29% from the field in the first half and gave up over 50 points in the opening period for the first time since last February against Georgia Tech. There was little improvement in the second half as Syracuse failed to mount any form of a comeback.

Judah Mintz scored 21 points, but the rest of the team struggled. Maliq Brown and Quadir Copeland combined for 22 points, while the rest of the team made bone-headed errors, tallying 17 turnovers.

The defeat served as yet another reminder that the Orange cannot compete with the best teams of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They are now 0-4 against ranked opponents, losing by a combined score of 338-246.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (11-5, 2-3 Atlantic Coast) blowout loss to No. 7 North Carolina (13-3, 5-0 ACC):

UNC’s star guard outshines SU

RJ Davis has been a shining light for the Tar Heels. He leads the ACC in scoring and is most likely en route to a first-team All-ACC selection. He showed Syracuse why that would be the case Saturday.

Midway through the first half, UNC secured a rebound off a missed 3-pointer from Kyle Cuffe Jr. And on the other end, Davis nailed the 3-pointer from the right wing to increase his team’s lead to 12. Moments before halftime, Davis, who finished with 22 points, nailed another 3-pointer to put the Tar Heels over the 50-point mark.

SU frequently switched between man and zone defense throughout the contest. But it didn’t matter. The Tar Heels killed the Orange with their vaunted fast break. In the second half, Mintz misfired as Harrison Ingram pulled in the rebound with Elliot Cadeau leading the fast break. He threw a bounce pass to a cutting Davis, who dished the ball to Bacot. The center finished the sequence off with a thunderous slam, forcing Autry to call a timeout.

Midway through the second half, Davis was subbed out and came off the floor to an ovation from the home fans with the Tar Heels up 34.

Bacot vs. Brown

When Naheem McLeod was ruled out 90 minutes before tipoff against Boston College, Brown stepped in and magnificently defended the Eagles’ star center Quinten Post, holding him to zero points.

But Armando Bacot, the two-time first team All-ACC center, was different.

Bacot, with a three-inch height advantage on Brown, consistently posted up and bullied Brown near the hoop. It wasn’t for a lack of effort on Brown’s part, though. Brown tried his best to thwart Bacot, but the center was too strong and as Brown just bumped right off of him.

With 9:45 left in the first half, Bacot dribbled from the left side against Brown before spinning around the forward to score a layup to increase the Tar Heels’ lead to 16 points. In the second half, Bacot again bodied Brown, creating space for himself on a missed jumper from Davis and scored on the third-chance layup.

Although he only played 17 minutes, Bacot showed how much stronger and better he is than any of SU’s forwards, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds, his eighth double-double of the season.

But Brown, who recorded six points and eight rebounds, wasn’t the only one to struggle in the paint against the Tar Heels.

Rebounding struggles

During his postgame pressers, Autry likes to bring up the rebounding battle, whether or not the Orange won it. On Saturday, there was a clear victor.

UNC outrebounded SU 53-30, displaying its size and skill advantages. The Tar Heels scored 22 second chance points, highlighted by Jalen Washington scooping up Ingram’s miss and scoring on the physical layup to give them their first double digit lead of the afternoon.

Toward the end of the first half, Cuffe Jr. dribbled down the court but the ball hit off his sneaker. Williams grabbed the ball, but his errant pass went right into the hands of Ingram. Although Ingram missed, Jae’Lyn Withers was there on the follow up to make the score 45-18.

Not Benny’s best day

Even though Benny Williams seemed like he was turning a corner this season, Saturday’s outing was not his finest. It started with some minor mistakes.

Midway through the first half right under the UNC basket, Williams didn’t see the ball bounce off of Washington following an errant UNC pass. Once he touched the ball, Williams inadvertently gave possession right back to North Carolina. Later in the half, Williams boxed out after a missed 3-pointer from Ingram, but the ball once again tipped off of him. Another ugly turnover.

Then, North Carolina wasn’t even afraid to guard him. On the next possession after the box-out turnover, Williams had a wide open 3-pointer from the left wing. The Tar Heels left him wide open, but Williams’ shot barely hit the rim.

Williams ended the game with one point, signifying another ugly performance from a forward that has never quite been able to put it all together.

Published on January 13, 2024 at 2:30 pm

Contact Henry: henrywobrien1123@gmail.com