Syracuse Shows Heart, Togetherness in Win Over North Carolina

The Orange got its biggest win of the season by knocking off the Tar Heels.

Just when you thought you could count out the Syracuse Men’s Basketball program making it to the big dance, they pull you right back in. Coach Red Autry and the Orange held on for a statement victory over the No. 7 North Carolina Tar Heels 86-79, on Tuesday night inside the JMA Wireless Dome.

Syracuse players entered the game with added motivation with last month’s 36-point loss still on their minds, the worst point differential for the program in the last 20 years. SU flipped the script, shooting 62.5 percent (30-48) as a team from the floor and 47 percent (8-17) from three against the sixth-best defense in the country, according to KenPom.com

Coach Autry utilized the 2-3 zone for the majority of the second half, which took UNC out of their normal offensive rhythm and style of play implemented by Coach Hubert Davis. The backcourt tandem of Judah Mintz and J.J. Starling shined, combining for 48 points in the win. Mintz netted a game-high 25 points, shooting an efficient 8-11 on field goals and 9-11 on free throws. Starling continued his hot stretch with 23 points, including a trio of three-pointers.

“I think my confidence is at an all-time high. I’m just looking forward to keeping it,” Starling said.

Cuse took command of the game right off the tip, stretching their lead to double digits with eight early points coming from forward Maliq Brown. Even with that solid cushion shooting over 65 percent from the field, UNC remained poised in the team huddle and continued to hang around. The Tar Heels went on a 15-6 scoring burst and regained a 37-34 lead after back-to-back threes by Harrison Ingram.

“Well, you knew that North Carolina was going to make a run. So we had that early lead, but it was a matter of just playing, keep doing what you’re doing. That’s all I was saying was just go four minutes at a time, that’s how we play. The biggest difference today was we were able to score. We didn’t have a nine-minute drought like last game, so that definitely helped,” Autry said.

Tied at 42 heading into the halftime break, Syracuse held the top-scorer in the conference R.J. Davis to just three points and incorporated a balanced offense with four players registering at least eight points. Instead of being frustrated that it wasn’t a lopsided score after playing extremely well in the first half, SU was determined to put together a full 40 minutes on the court.

“In the locker room, we talked about how it was going to come down to getting stops. We felt like [UNC] couldn’t really guard us and stop us from doing what we wanted to do. They’re a good team obviously, a top team in the country. We just wanted to make them uncomfortable from what they are used to doing, and it showed in the second half,” Mintz said.

Syracuse set the tone for the second half, getting clean looks off improved ball movement shown on Chris Bell and Starling triples in the opening two possessions. The Loud House erupted when Starling sent up a 40-foot prayer over UNC’s Armando Bacot with four seconds left on the shot clock that banked in off the glass for the 67-65 lead. As Cuse continued to hit shots, it allowed them to get settled into their zone defense on the other end. The Tar Heels’ shooting percentages dropped over 14 percent from the field and 18 percent from beyond the arc in the second half. Adversely, it was the first time that a team shot over 60 percent against them since the Pitt Panthers did so during the 2015 campaign.

“I’m proud of how our guys reacted and continued to fight to stay in the game, but you also have to complement Syracuse. They stepped up and made plays that helped them down the stretch. We weren’t able to make plays when it mattered and for Syracuse being able to step up,” Davis said.

The Orange led the conference in forced turnovers per game and had multiple steals in the final three minutes of regulation. Syracuse had 10 steals, including three from Quadir Copeland who swiped Cormac Ryan and Ingram that were overturned after replay reviews that went off UNC before going out of bounds.

The Tar Heels continued to make Cuse earn points at the line after intentional fouls as they chipped away at the lead. Even with a few misses down the stretch by Copeland and Brown, Syracuse went 14-20 from the charity stripe in the final 20 to hold on for the win. SU students stormed the court to commemorate the victory to celebrate with the players on the hardwood.

“That was pretty wild because I’ve never experienced anything like that before. When they were coming down towards the court from the student section I had to stay locked in because there was still time on the clock and I knew what I had to do at the line,” Copeland said.

Tuesday marked Syracuse’s first win over UNC since 2021 and the third win over the Tar Heels inside the dome. Bacot and Ingram still had double-doubles in the losing effort, and Davis led the way with 19 points on the night. North Carolina started the conference slate a perfect 9-0 before losing three of the last five games. Still holding the top record in the ACC, they’ll host Virginia Tech at the Dean Dome on Saturday.

Syracuse gets back to .500 in ACC play (7-7), and 16-9 overall. Tuesday was a step in the right direction, but the program still has work left to get into the tournament. The Orange play four of their final six games on the road, including their upcoming matchup at Georgia Tech on Saturday. Tip-off is at 5:30 and will be available on the CW Network. 

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