UNC Tar Heels Survive Against Syracuse Orange Behind An Offensive Onslaught
In a game that felt like three different matchups stitched together, the No. 14 UNC Tar Heels managed to secure an 87-77 victory over Syracuse on Monday night. It was their fourth straight win, keeping their momentum alive in the ACC, but the path to the winner’s circle was anything but a straight line. It was weird, it was electric, and by the end, it was downright stressful.
For 30 minutes, Hubert Davis’ squad looked like a Final Four contender. For the other 10? Well, let’s just say there’s plenty of tape to watch before the Blue Devils come to town.
A Sluggish Start That Cured Insomnia
The first four minutes of this game set offensive basketball back a few decades. If you arrived late to the Dean E. Smith Center, you didn’t miss a thing. By the time the under-16 timeout rolled around, the score was 4-2. That isn’t a typo. Both teams looked allergic to offense, clanking shots off the iron and turning the ball over with impressive efficiency.
But even in the muck, you could see the bright spots forming. While the veterans were struggling to find a rhythm, freshman Forward Caleb Wilson decided he wasn’t interested in a defensive struggle. Wilson was the only guy on the floor who looked like he knew where the basket was, tallying six early points when points were hard to come by. He finished the half with 13, essentially carrying the UNC offense until the rest of the team decided to wake up.
The Freshmen Ignite the UNC Offense
Once the coffee kicked in, the UNC Tar Heels looked dangerous. This wasn’t just the Wilson show, though he certainly played the lead role, finishing with a game-high 22 points. It was the supporting cast of young talent that really blew the game open.
Sophomore Jonathan Powell provided a massive spark off the bench, looking like a microwave scorer. He dropped five quick points in 30 seconds during a first-half run and later soared for a two-handed slam that woke up the entire arena. When Henri Veesaar and Jonathan Powell started hitting from deep, the lead ballooned.
By the middle of the second half, it looked like a total laugher. Luka Bogavac decided to have his own personal highlight reel, scoring eight points in two minutes, including an and-one that felt like the dagger. The scoreboard read 72-40. A 32-point lead. The game was effectively over. Or so we thought.
From Blowout To Nail-Biter In Record Time
Sports are funny. When you’re up 30, human nature tells you to let off the gas. You relax. You stop closing out on shooters. You get sloppy with the ball. UNC did all of that, and Syracuse took full advantage.
The Orange, led by a resilient effort from Donnie Freeman, refused to pack it in. They ripped off a frantic run, outscoring UNC 37-15 in the final 10 minutes. The Dean Dome, which had been rocking with celebration, got very quiet. The lead shrank from 32 to 20. Then to 10. Then, with under a minute left, it was a six-point game.
Suddenly, a night that was supposed to be a coronation turned into a survival mission. Syracuse simply ran out of time, but the fact that they made Hubert Davis sweat through his suit in a game he led by 30 is concerning.
Duke Is Looming
A win is a win, especially in the ACC. You never apologize for putting a “W” in the column. But as the Tar Heels head into a four-day break, the coaching staff knows they can’t afford a repeat of those final minutes.
Why? Because the next team walking into Chapel Hill isn’t Syracuse. It’s No. 4 Duke. Saturday’s rivalry matchup is going to be a war. If UNC plays with the defensive intensity and offensive flow they showed in the middle 20 minutes of this game, they can beat anyone in the country. If they play like they did in the final five minutes? It’s going to be a long night against the Blue Devils.
