3 takeaways from Syracuse 77-64 loss to No. 16 North Carolina

Syracuse failed to earn a statement victory over No. 16 North Carolina Saturday. The Orange fell 77-64 to the Tar Heels, marking their second loss to UNC this season.

North Carolina entered the contest without its star freshman Caleb Wilson. Syracuse got off to a strong start, scoring well from inside the paint but UNC separated with the 3-ball. The Orange couldn’t find their stroke from deep, shooting 3 for 17 from long range.

J.J. Starling led SU with 22 points, but the Syracuse’s secondary scorers were slowed down today. Donnie Freeman had two technical fouls and Nate Kingz battled foul trouble during the second half.

SU had momentum early in the second half, but UNC stepped up when it mattered most to control the game down the stretch.

Here are 3 takeaways from Syracuse’s second straight loss, which drops it to 6-9 in ACC play.

Lack of 3s hurt SU early

When SU’s clicking, its hitting from 3. Against North Carolina, Syracuse struggled mightily to the tune of just 3 for 17 from deep.

It took SU until the 1:58 mark of the first half to hit its first 3. The Orange missed the mark on their first seven 3-point attempts. Meanwhile, North Carolina used the 3-ball to build a lead late in the first half.

Over the first 12 minutes, the Tar Heels made four of their eight attempts from deep. The Orange missed all five of their attempts in that span. Nait George and Freeman had a few triples rim out. SU’s top 3-point shooter Nate Kingz didn’t attempt a 3 in the game’s early stages.

Adrian Autry turned to proven sharpshooter Tyler Betsey to supply some offense off the bench. However, he missed the mark on his lone 3-point attempt in his first shift of playing time and Kiyan Anthony also missed the mark on a triple.

While the Orange struggled from deep the Tar Heels snatched the lead with their triples. UNC guard Jonathan Powell made a pair of 3s midway through the half to change momentum in the Tar Heels favor.

Betsey delivered SU’s first 3 late in the half, which came when SU faced an eight-point deficit, its largest to that point in the game. UNC made five 3s in the first half and went to the break with a five-point advantage.

Starling shows out, support not enough

J.J. Starling was up to 18 points with over 12 minutes left. His total nearly matched his Syracuse teammates, as SU trailed 44-42. He accounted for ten of Syracuse’s first 14 points of the second half, helping bring the Orange back from down five points.

Starling consistently worked his way to the interior, floating several shots over UNC’s rim protectors for baskets.

But his performance wasn’t enough for Syracuse to secure a victory.

SU’s other top scorers Freeman and Nate Kingz didn’t provide very much support. Kingz picked up his fourth personal foul at the 16:04 mark of the second half, sending him the bench for most of the half.

UNC head coach Hubert Davis said his forward’s and center’s ability to run the floor challenged Syracuse, namingly Nate Kingz.

“[It} puts a lot of pressure on the opposing team's defense, especially guards, being able to guard bigs down low,” Davis said. “And I thought that was a huge key for us.”

Kingz finished with four points. Meanwhile, Freeman, with his two technical fouls, faced different looks from UNC throughout the game and he finished with 3-of-8 shooting for nine points, unable to hit any 3s.

SU had opportunities, but Starling said the Orange missed a lot of “easy ones” from short range.

“It was just a struggle to get going the whole second half,” Autry said.

SU couldn’t contain a star again

Earlier in the week, SU went to Duke and faced potential top NBA Draft pick Cameron Boozer. He helped the Blue Devils separate in the final moments of the first half, which eventually led to a blowout loss for the Orange. He finished with a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Against UNC, 7-foot center Henri Veesaar shined with 19 points in his return from injury. He filled in the gap for the Tar Heels without Wilson, creating problems on the post for SU.

Veesaar had nine points in the first half, helping UNC to take the lead into halftime. Then he propelled the Tar Heels to break away from a 44-44 tie in the early moments of the second half.

Already with 13 points, Veesaar stamped an 8-0 Tar Heels run with an emphatic slam at the 9:53 mark of the second half. That catapulted UNC in front 52-44, switching the momentum completely after SU had threatened just minutes before.

Veesaar’s footwork and length was too much for SU to contend with.

“He's a guy that can consistently score in the paint, he can shoot from three, he can pass, and there's a lot of attention on him,” Davis said. “When he's in the game, defenses are geared to either stop him or make it difficult for him.”

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