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WATCH: Alan Griffin's Chase Down Block vs UNC

Griffin made a huge defensive play late against the Tar Heels
Mike McAllister|
WATCH: Alan Griffin's Chase Down Block vs UNC
WATCH: Alan Griffin's Chase Down Block vs UNC

Syracuse forward Alan Griffin turned the ball over with North Carolina looking to claw back into the game. The Tar Heels trailed Syracuse by 10 with a little over two minutes remaining. Griffin was trapped near midcourt and RJ Davis took the ball out of his hands. 

Davis raced towards the basket looking to get an easy bucket and cut Syracuse's lead to eight. Griffin had other plans. He sprinted stride for stride with Davis and leapt at exactly the right time. As Davis extended his arm to lay it in, Griffin extended his and blocked the shot. You can watch the play in the video at the top of the page.

It was an incredible defensive play that made up for the offensive gaffe. After that block, Syracuse was up by 10 and had possession. The Orange seemed to be in complete control. Little did everyone know how important that block would prove to be. 

North Carolina used two four point possessions, in which it missed the second of two free throws, grabbed the offensive rebound and made a three, to make things interesting. Missed free throws and turnovers by Syracuse helped the Tar Heels' cause as well. 

In a game that Syracuse won by just two points, 72-70, that block proved to be a crucial play for the Orange. The win improved Syracuse's record to 14-8 (8-7) and kept any NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Syracuse also improved to 12-1 at home, and will look to make that win total 13 when it faces Clemson on Wednesday in the regular season finale. 

The ACC Tournament awaits after that. 

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Mike McAllister
MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting.  EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans.  After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years.  Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports.  Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College. 

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