SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The University of North Carolina men’s basketball team travels to the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday to face Syracuse, seeking to rebound from a decisive loss at NC State earlier this week. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast on ABC.
UNC (20-6, 8-5 ACC) is coming off an 82-58 defeat in Raleigh on Tuesday, a game where they shot a season-low 15.2% from three-point range, making just 5 of 33 attempts. Jarin Stevenson and Zayden High each scored 13 points for the Tar Heels, with High adding a career-high 10 rebounds for his first double-double. The loss marked NC State’s eighth win in the last 48 games against UNC, and their largest margin of victory since 1962.
Syracuse (15-12, 6-8 ACC) also suffered a loss earlier in the week, falling to Duke 101-64 on Monday. The Orange will be looking to improve upon their 12-4 record at home this season.
Head coach Hubert Davis’s Tar Heels are attempting to avoid consecutive losses and maintain their position in the ACC standings. Davis has already secured a place in ACC history, becoming the first men’s basketball coach to win 20 or more games in each of his first five seasons. Only three other ACC coaches have achieved 20-plus wins in their first four seasons: Duke’s Jon Scheyer, NC State’s Mark Gottfried, and Wake Forest’s Skip Prosser.
Despite the recent setback, Carolina has demonstrated the ability to win against top competition this season, having defeated Kansas, Kentucky, and Duke – a feat they hadn’t accomplished since the 1981-82 season. Davis has led the Tar Heels to 18 wins over nationally-ranked opponents, including nine victories against top-10 teams.
The Tar Heels defeated Syracuse 87-77 in Chapel Hill on February 2nd, with Caleb Wilson leading the team with 22 points and Henri Veesaar contributing 17 points and 11 rebounds. Syracuse mounted a late comeback, closing the gap to six points in the final minute, but UNC held on for the win.
Carolina holds a 19-7 all-time record against Syracuse, including a 6-3 mark in the JMA Wireless Dome. This is one of only two ACC opponents, along with Duke, that UNC plays in a home-and-home series this season.
Both Wilson and Veesaar have been instrumental to UNC’s success this season. Wilson, averaging 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds, and Veesaar, averaging 16.4 points and 9.0 rebounds, have combined for 24 double-doubles. They have been recognized nationally for their performance, with Wilson earning recognition on the Wooden and Naismith watch lists, and both being named to positional award top-10 lists.
The Tar Heels have been playing without key contributors Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar for the past two games due to injury. The Pitt and NC State games marked only the second and third games in program history where Carolina played without its top two scorers. The last time this occurred was February 23, 1978, a 72-67 loss at NC State.
Looking ahead, the starting time for UNC’s game against Virginia Tech on February 28th has not yet been determined, with a potential tip-off time of either 6:30 or 8:30 p.m.
