UNC Must Handle These 2 Issues to Beat Syracuse Monday

Take a look at two aspects of gameplan that can win into tonight's game.

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North Carolina is back at home tonight to take on Syracuse. The Tar Heels are absolutely rolling right now and may have gotten hot at the perfect time. UNC has climbed to a 5-3 conference record.

UNC will look to extend its winning streak to four games with a win over the Orange. In what is going to be a tough stretch of games, the Tar Heels must pick up a win versus the Orange.

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Here are two winning strategies for UNC.

Front court rebounding

Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

The Orange have two fantastic forwards in William Kyle and Donnie Freeman. Both are big, lengthy bodies that can out-rebound anyone. Kyle and Freeman each average seven rebounds a game. UNC must put a body on the two bigs from the Orange and take some pride in rebounding the basketball.

Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar have struggled to grab rebounds at times in the past. Against Virginia, they had only one rebound as a duo in the first half and finished the game with a total of five. That will not cut it against Kyle and Freeman. Wilson and Veesaar must grab around 15 to 17 rebounds as a duo to put UNC in a good position to win the game.

Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

The guards will also have to help their bigs out. Wilson and Veesaar will have a tough time boxing them out, so the guards will have to put in some extra effort and help rebound down low. Seth Trimble and Derek Dixon will have to step up to help out on the glass, which could lead to fast-break opportunities for UNC.

Play through Wilson to help others

Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

Georgia Tech had an interesting defensive approach to guarding Wilson last weekend. The Yellow Jackets doubled him on every touch in the first 10 minutes of the game. This forced Wilson to give the ball up, which is what they were wanting, but UNC had wide-open shots because of it.

The Tar Heels have struggled to find a player who will consistently help out Wilson and Veesaar. If head coach Hubert Davis runs the offense through Wilson, then the role players will have a much easier time getting into the flow of the game and building confidence.

Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

UNC is a hard team to beat if it has scoring outside of the front court, which it could have if it plays through Wilson to help the others. If the Tar Heels do these two things, they will have a significant shot at picking up a victory.

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Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

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