CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Seventh-ranked North Carolina built a big, first-half lead and cruised to a 103-67 win over Syracuse on Saturday afternoon at the Smith Center.
The Tar Heels led by 27 in the first half and increased the lead to as many as 39 points in the second.
Carolina’s defense shined once again, holding the Orange to 36.5 percent shooting, the fifth consecutive UNC opponent to shoot below 40 percent. The last time Carolina held five consecutive opponents under 40 percent shooting was the first five games in 2019-20.
“If we can defend, if we can take care of the basketball, that’s going to put us in position to be able to be successful against whomever we play,” said Tar Heel head coach Hubert Davis. RJ Davis led the way for UNC, pouring in 22 points for his 10th 20-point game of the season, hitting 7 of 12 field goals and 4 of 6 three-pointers. He also tied his career high with five steals.
“My teammates do a good job of finding me,” Davis said. “A lot of teams are trying to gameplan for me now, but I trust my teammates. I just stay ready and knock it down when I get an open shot. It’s all about me being aggressive as well, looking for my shot, and so far it’s been working.”Armando Bacot extended his own school record with his 76th career double-double, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Harrison Ingram had a double-double of his own (his third of the season), tallying 11 points and 10 boards. Five UNC players scored in double figures.
The Tar Heels (13-3, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their sixth consecutive game, matching their longest winning streak in three years under Davis as head coach. Carolina improved to 5-0 in the ACC, its best conference start since going 8-0 to begin the 2015-16 season.
Syracuse fell to 11-5, 2-3 ACC. Judah Mintz led the Orange with 21 points.
“They jumped on us, and they kept their character,” head coach Adrian Autry said. “They just kept the pressure up. They were very good defensively, and rebounding. I give all the credit to them, they came out in the beginning, set the tone, and we just never got to get our ability to bounce back. It had all to do with the way they played.”
Points in the paint were 58-32 in UNC’s favor, and Carolina out-rebounded the Orange, 53-30.After leading by 22 at halftime, the Tar Heels mounted a 10-0 run in the opening minutes of the second half to squash any hope of an Orange comeback. The lead grew to as many as 39 at 90-51 in the closing minutes. UNC held Cuse scoreless for the final 3:07 of the game.
Eleven Tar Heels scored in a balanced offensive attack. Carolina held a 39-19 advantage in bench points, getting 11 points and six rebounds from Jalen Washington and 10 points and six boards from Jae’Lyn Withers.
How It Happened
First Half
• The Tar Heels raced out to a lead that eventually grew to 27 points in the first half.
• Carolina’s defense forced Syracuse to miss 11 of its first 14 shots (21.4 percent). Things didn’t improve much the rest of the first half as the Orange finished at 29 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
• Syracuse shot 29.0 percent from the floor in the first half. That’s the third straight half and fourth in the last six the Tar Heel defense had held the opposition under 30 percent.
• Meanwhile, the Tar Heels shot over 60 percent for a good portion of the half, eventually settling at 51.4 percent as a team.
• Carolina had a dominating, 28-12 edge in points in the paint in the first half
• UNC’s 22-point halftime lead was its second-largest of the season (behind 23 vs. Charleston Southern in the last home game). It was the largest halftime lead against an ACC opponent since being up by 38 against Florida State on Feb. 12, 2022.
• Eight different Tar Heels scored at least one field goal in the first half, and the UNC bench outscored the Orange bench, 17-4, before the break.
Second Half
• An 10-0 run in the first four-plus minutes helped keep the Tar Heels comfortably in front. It was the 10th time this season UNC has mounted a scoring run of at least 10-0.
• Although Syracuse shot the ball better in the second half (43.8 percent), the Tar Heels eventually led by 39 at 90-51 and never let the Orange back into the game.
Postgame Tidbits & Notes
• The Tar Heels are 17-6 all-time against Syracuse, including 7-0 in Chapel Hill and 13-3 since the Orange joined the ACC prior to the 2014-15 season.
• Saturday’s game was the first time Carolina has played Syracuse without Jim Boeheim as the SU head coach since March 20, 1975.
• The game was only UNC’s second home game in six weeks. January 13 is the latest the Tar Heels have played their first home game in the month of January since 1984.
• UNC improved to 7-0 at home this season.
• Davis made four three-pointers, giving him 13 consecutive games with multiple threes. That ties the second-longest streak in school history. Justin Jackson did it 15 games in a row in 2016-17.
• With his 22 points, Davis passed Mitch Kupchak, Hubert Davis, Jawad Williams, Justin Jackson and Eric Montross for 24th place on the UNC all-time scoring list.
• Carolina’s defense has held its opponents under 40 percent shooting from the field in 19 of 32 halves this season, including the second halves of four of the last five contests.
• UNC has held five consecutive opponents under 40 percent shooting for the first time since doing so five games in a row to start the 2019-20 season.
• The Tar Heels have held seven consecutive opponents under 42 percent from the floor, going 6-1 in those games and winning the last six.
• Carolina scored its most points against an ACC opponent since scoring 113 against NC State on 2/5/19. It is the first time Carolina has scored 100 points against an ACC opponent since scoring 100 against NC State on 1/29/22.
• Carolina’s 36-point margin of victory is its largest over an ACC opponent since defeating Notre Dame by 42 in the 2021 ACC Tournament.
Up Next
Carolina will play its second home game in a row when it hosts Louisville on Wednesday January 17 at 9 p.m. in the Smith Center.
