Preview: Syracuse vs. North Carolina
Syracuse men’s basketball will be on the road for a conference matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels (UNC) on Tuesday night. The game will be the first-in-line of a slew of ACC opponents as the Orange does not have any out of conference games scheduled going forward this season.
The last time the two teams met would be the last time any two teams met for a while as the world changed in front of our eyes. The 2020 ACC Tournament came to an abrupt stop following Syracuse’s win over UNC as the coronavirus pandemic was upon us.
In that game, the Orange snapped a nine-game losing streak to a struggling Tar Heels program. In the world of college basketball, one does not hear the phrase ‘the struggling Tarheels’ too often, especially under legendary Coach Roy Williams (474- 156 all-time as the head coach of UNC). But that was exactly the state of the storied program as the Orange beatdown the Tar Heels to the tune of an 83-51 final score.
North Carolina finished last season with a win-loss record of 14-19, the first losing season under Coach Williams, and 6-14 in conference play.
Also, in that blow-out win, Syracuse had the services of 2020 NBA draftee and a member of the Utah Jazz, Elijah Hughes, who had an outstanding game against the Tar Heels last March. Hughes had a 27-point outburst on 45% shooting to go along with seven rebounds. No Syracuse player has been able to fill Hughes’ void this season, making it tough to tell which player will step up as the alpha in the biggest moments for the Orange. A road game at Chapel Hill, however, is exactly the opportunity a player needs to flip the script as the season moves along swiftly.
Another key aspect the Orange was aided by in its win against UNC on March 11, 2020, was the presence of big-man Bourama Sidibe. The 6-foot-10 center scored 12 points on an efficient 4-5 shooting from the field to go along with two steals and three blocks. Even more significant and what the Orange may miss on Tuesday night due to injury concerns, is Sidibe’s rebounding versus a North Carolina squad featuring three players who average over 7.5 rebounds a game, inlcuding Day'Ron Sharpe (8.3 per). Sidibe gobbled up 12 rebounds that night vs. UNC, seven on the offensive glass, and would have been named player of the game if it were not for Hughes’ huge night.
Unfortunately for Syracuse, Sidibe has not participated in a full game other than the early minutes of the season opener against Bryant, in which he played for a grand total of four minutes and tore his meniscus. The center practiced with the team last week and was initially going to be available for Coach Jim Boeheim going into the game vs. Pittsburgh on Wednesday, but after experiencing soreness in his knee following practice, the decision was made to sit the big man. Consequently, Sidibe would be unavailable for SU’s following game on Saturday night against Georgetown, as well.
So, will the big guy be ready to help the Orange crush North Carolina come Tuesday night?
“Bourama…we won’t know until we get to the game,” Coach Boeheim said over a Zoom call featuring ACC head coaches. “He is practicing a little bit, not a lot. He hasn’t played in six weeks, so I don’t expect a lot from him.”
Even if Sidibe is used sparingly vs the Tar Heels, the time logged would be significant for the Orange going forward as conference play gets tougher. Sidibe provides a knack for doing ‘the dirty work’ for Syracuse in the paint on a consistent basis and has done a great job of it in the past.
As for Marek Dolezaj, who had a near double-double and a broken tooth (with which he finished the game, by the way) in his last outing vs. Georgetown, Coach Boeheim said the senior forward is “100%” ready to play.
Syracuse Orange (7-2, 1-1 in ACC) vs. North Carolina (7-4, 2-2) will be a late-night matchup with tipoff set for 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 12. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
