3 Things UNC Must Fix From Last Syracuse Matchup

North Carolina takes on Syracuse for the second matchup of the season between the two. The Tar Heels took an 87-77 win in the last game, but UNC was up by 30 points in the second half before letting up in the last 10 minutes of the game.

This game will look a lot different with the Tar Heels dealing with key injuries. UNC suffered a historic loss in its last outing against NC State. All eyes are on the Tar Heels to bounce back and get on the right track. Head coach Hubert Davis is under immense pressure right now.

Here is what UNC can fix from its last outing versus Syracuse.

Contain Donnie Freeman

Donnie Freeman is by far the standout for the Orange, and he proved that in the last game against UNC. Freeman finished with 23 points and eight rebounds in the contest, and dueled Caleb Wilson throughout the first half.

The loss of Wilson will absolutely change this ball game and make Freeman’s job a whole lot easier. The Tar Heels will have to find creative ways to contain the star for the Orange. Wilson is really the only player from UNC who can match up with Freeman due to his size and athleticism.

Jarin Stevenson and Zayden High will have their hands full with Freeman. If those two can bother Freeman just a little, that may open the door for the Tar Heels to sneak away with a victory.

Stay locked in and execute

UNC almost had an embarrassing second-half collapse versus the Orange the last time these two teams faced off. The Tar Heels were up by as much as 32 before the Orange stormed back to cut the lead to seven with a little more than a minute left to play.

This lack of aggressiveness and focus cannot happen again if UNC is going to pick up a win. Granted, it is highly unlikely the Tar Heels will be up by that big a margin without Wilson and possibly Henri Veesaar, but the point still stands that UNC will have to be aggressive and be attentive for the entire ball game.

Guards have to step up

All the focus has turned to Seth Trimble and Derek Dixon due to the injuries to Wilson and Veesaar. The game plan for the Orange will more than likely revolve around stopping Trimble and Dixon. The guard tandem must step up for the Tar Heels to pick up the win.

In the last game against the Orange, the duo for UNC struggled, as they shot 4 of 11 from the field. The frontcourt carried the Tar Heels in that game, as they combined for 39 points. UNC will not be able to rely on the frontcourt this time around.

Trimble and Dixon will have to pick up the slack for Wilson and Veesaar. This will be a completely different ball game than the last time these two ran up against each other. The Tar Heels must fix these three errors from the last game to get a win versus the Orange.

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