The No. 7 North Carolina Tar Heels (19-6, 11-3 ACC) fell in a grueling road battle to the Syracuse Orange (16-9, 7-7 ACC) 86-79 at the JMA Wireless Dome.
After a 9-0 conference start, UNC dropped its third game in its last five matches. Senior guard RJ Davis recorded 19 points, rallying in the second half after just three points in the first.
The Orange came in with a chip on their shoulder, seeking vengeance from the 36-point routing at the Dean E. Smith Center. Guards Judah Mintz and J.J. Starling shot a combined 17-of-26 from the field, leading a Syracuse offense that shot 63 percent from the field — an increase from 37 percent in the Orange’s last duel against North Carolina.
Syracuse started hot offensively, with two early 3-pointers from forward Maliq Brown. The Tar Heels’ offense was sloppy early with turnovers, lazy passes, and offensive fouls. North Carolina was already trailing by 10 by the second media timeout, with the Orange starting nine for 13 shooting from the field.
Mintz and Starling utilized their crafty skill sets to attack the rim for layups and create mid-range shots.
The Tar Heels would creep their way back, with 3-pointers from sophomore forward Jalen Washington and Davis helping cut the lead to one, prompting a Syracuse timeout with just over five minutes remaining in the half. Junior forward Harrison Ingram would then drill back-to-back 3-pointers to put North Carolina back on top.
Graduate guard Cormac Ryan would lead UNC offensively in the first half, tallying 13 points and three assists. The teams were tied at 42 after an exciting back-and-forth first half.
The Tar Heels struggled to find the bottom of the basket to start the second half, missing their first nine shots. The Orange would continue to take advantage of mismatches on the offensive end, yet clutch plays from first-year guard Elliot Cadeau limited the deficit to three at the under-12 minute media timeout.
Davis began to heat up after his slow start, recording an and-1, a corner 3-pointer, and a tough Euro-step to combat against the scorching Syracuse offense. North Carolina would regain the lead, up 65-64 at the next media timeout.
