North Carolina Tar Heels Knock Off Syracuse Orange

The 16th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels needed their junior center back in the worst way, and boy, did he deliver. After missing two games due to illness and a lower-body injury, Henri Veesaar returned to the starting lineup Saturday afternoon and helped North Carolina cruise to a 77-64 victory over Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome.

It wasn’t always pretty—this is college basketball, after all—but when the dust settled, the Tar Heels had earned their 21st win of the season and improved to 9-5 in conference play.

The Big Man Returns With Authority

Veesaar wasted zero time shaking off the rust. By halftime, the Arizona transfer had already dropped 9 points on 4-of-5 shooting, leading all Tar Heels scorers. He’d finish the afternoon with a team-high 19 points, reminding everyone why North Carolina looks like a completely different team when he’s on the floor. But here’s the thing about this North Carolina squad—they’re not a one-man show.

Supporting Cast Steps Up

Junior Guard Luka Bogavac and sophomore Guard Jonathan Powell each contributed 6 first-half points, helping the Tar Heels build a 33-28 halftime advantage. Powell, in particular, was feeling it from beyond the arc, knocking down a pair of threes that had the Syracuse faithful groaning.

The bench provided 12 crucial points, and North Carolina dominated in the paint. They also capitalized on Syracuse’s mistakes, scoring 5 points off turnovers and grabbing 6 offensive rebounds.

Head Coach Hubert Davis watched his team execute the game plan to near perfection in that opening frame. Sure, there were some sloppy turnovers and questionable fouls that kept Syracuse within striking distance, but the Tar Heels were doing what they needed to do.

Second Half Drama

If you thought North Carolina was going to cruise to an easy victory, well, you clearly haven’t been watching college basketball this season. Syracuse’s J.J. Starling decided he wasn’t going down without a fight. The guard opened the second half like a man possessed, scoring the Orange’s first 6 points and suddenly making this a ballgame again. By the time the media timeout rolled around at the 12-minute mark, the score was knotted at 44-44.

For a team that had just suffered a humiliating 24-point loss in their previous outing, this had all the makings of another disaster. The offense had gone flat. Syracuse was stealing momentum. The JMA Wireless Dome was getting louder by the minute. And then Seth Trimble said, “Not today, friends.”

Trimble Takes Over

The senior guard orchestrated an 8-0 run that featured thunderous dunks from both himself and Veesaar, forcing Syracuse to burn a timeout in desperation. That four-minute stretch where Trimble compiled seven points and dished out an assist while playing suffocating defense? Chef’s kiss.

Trimble finished the second half with 13 points and 5 rebounds, providing exactly the kind of veteran leadership North Carolina needed when the game hung in the balance. Bogavac also reached double figures with 13 points, giving the Tar Heels that balanced attack Davis loves to see.

Junior Forward Zayden High knocked down a crucial three-pointer that ballooned North Carolina’s lead to 11 points, and from there, it was essentially over. The Tar Heels’ defense locked in, their size overwhelmed the Orange, and they closed out the game with the kind of composure that had been missing in recent contests.

The Caleb Wilson Factor

Let’s address the elephant in the room: North Carolina played this game without star freshman Caleb Wilson, who’s been sidelined since Feb. 10 with a left-hand fracture suffered against Miami. This marked the third consecutive game without Wilson.

Looking Ahead

With the victory, North Carolina improved to an impressive 16-1 when leading at halftime this season. That’s the kind of statistic that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside if you’re a Tar Heels fan.

The Tar Heels will return home to face Louisville on Monday at 7:00 p.m. After completing the season sweep of Syracuse, North Carolina has some momentum heading back to Chapel Hill.

Davis and company know they’ve got work to do if they want to make noise in March. But getting Veesaar back healthy? That’s a huge step in the right direction. When your 6-foot-11 junior center is scoring 19 points and making it look easy, good things tend to happen.