SYRACUSE, N.Y. – North Carolina continued its inconsistent ways in Upstate New York on Monday, suffering a 72-70 defeat to Syracuse at the Carrier Dome in its final road game of the season.
UNC (15-9, 9-6 ACC) led 22-13 with 6:46 left to play before halftime and then any lingering carryover from the Florida State win vanished. The Tar Heels had more turnovers (4) than made field goals (3) in that final stretch, while Syracuse found its rhythm, converting 8-of-11 field goal attempts (5-of-7 3FG) against one turnover. The Orange outscored UNC, 21-6, during that run and closed the half with 11 unanswered points.
The Tar Heels retook the lead at 36-35 with 17:41 to play before Syracuse built its largest lead of the game at 63-49 with 5:18 to play. UNC made a late charge with a 10-2 run to pull to within 70-68 with 19 seconds to play and Caleb Love went to the free throw with his team down three points with 11.4 seconds to play, but the freshman missed both attempts and Syracuse sealed its victory at the free throw line.
Armando Bacot led the Tar Heels with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 15 rebounds. Garrison Brooks scored 11 points and Caleb Love added 10 points and eight rebounds. UNC outrebounded Syracuse 53-33, including a 26-13 edge on the offensive glass.
The Tar Heels shot 38.2% from the floor, including 20% from three (4-of-20), while the Orange shot 40.9% (29.6% 3FG).
Perimeter Scoring Struggles
While the Tar Heels took advantage of their size advantage in the post, their guards were an offensive liability, managing 31 points on 10-of-41 shooting (4-of-19 3FG). Kerwin Walton scored two points on 1-of-10 shooting (0-of-7 3FG).
Turnovers
The late-season improvement UNC showcased through its 99-54 win over Louisville has taken a hard U-turn in the past five days. Syracuse scored 28 points off 20 UNC turnovers, thereby creating a 19-point differential in the points off turnover category.
The Tar Heels have coughed up 60 turnovers in their past three games.
Different Result for Boeheim
In the first meeting between these programs back in January, Buddy Boeheim provided Syracuse’s first-half offense, scoring 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting (4-of-7 3FG). The story of that game centered on Leaky Black’s ability to lock down the junior forward and hold him scoreless after halftime.
On Monday, Boeheim was back to his old antics, fueling Syracuse’s first-half charge with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting (5-of-9 3FG). Black limited the damage after halftime, but was unable to shut the Syracuse coach’s son down this time. Boeheim finished with 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting.
Injury Note
Puff Johnson did not dress out for Monday’s game, marking the 10th consecutive game that he’s missed due to a right foot injury. The freshman wing has logged 59 minutes this season.
Up Next
UNC will host Duke for Senior Night on Saturday (6 p.m./ESPN). The Blue Devils are currently on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble after suffering a home loss to Louisville in overtime on Saturday. The Tar Heels won the first rivalry meeting in Durham, 91-87, last month.
