No. 11 seed Syracuse (20-12, 8-10 Atlantic Coast) moved on in the ACC tournament by beating Wake Forest, 74-63, on Tuesday night. That win set up a Wednesday showdown with No. 6 seed North Carolina (22-7, 11-7). The Tar Heels came to the Carrier Dome in late February, and although the Orange tied the game at 74 with about three minutes to play, UNC snuck out with a 78-74 win. Wednesday’s rematch has potentially even bigger implications for SU’s NCAA Tournament hopes.

Here’s how our beat writers think it will go.

Matthew Gutierrez (25-7)
Fear the Theo
North Carolina 70, Syracuse 62

The thing to watch Wednesday night is North Carolina’s inside-out offense. That’s how the Tar Heels put up 78 points against Syracuse two weeks ago — UNC’s most recent win — planting Theo Pinson in the high post and dissecting the zone. The Tar Heels have the advantage in the half court, so there’s little doubt Syracuse may turn to a full-court press or half-court traps to try to speed up UNC. Also be on the lookout for rebounds and second-chance points. Roy Williams’ squad is big, out-rebounding SU 38-34 in the teams’ first meeting and holding a 19-12 advantage in second-chance points. SU’s best chance lies in buckling down on the boards and high post.

Sam Fortier (23-9)
Turn-and-heeled
North Carolina 69, Syracuse 60

Syracuse got back into the game against North Carolina two weeks ago because the Tar Heels went “brain-dead” in the second half against the press, Roy Williams said. UNC will be better prepared this time. The two most interesting things tonight to me are whether Marek Dolezaj can build on his career night and whether UNC plays a zone defense against the Orange, given that the scheme has given them fits this season. Though Syracuse will put up a good fight offensively, if last night was any indication, it simply won’t be enough to overwhelm a tough No. 6 seed in North Carolina.

Tomer Langer (22-10)
Brooklyn Blues
North Carolina 81, Syracuse 65

There were moments in the win over Wake Forest that Syracuse played the part of contender, like when SU opened up an early 20-4 lead. There were other times, like when Wake Forest closed it to within six at halftime and made a late push, that the Orange showed its flaws. Against a North Carolina team, flaws aren’t going to cut it. In fact, when these two teams matched up two weeks ago, UNC had more in-game mental mistakes and still pulled out a victory. SU is revitalized with the emergence of Dolezaj, but ultimately won’t have enough firepower against North Carolina.

Published on March 7, 2018 at 11:20 am