Heel Tough Blog: Syracuse Recap

Bob Donnan- Imagn Images

Well, that was a little too close for comfort wouldn’t you say. After leading by 32 points, the Tar Heels had to hold off a furious late rally from the Syracuse Orange for an 87-77 victory that extended their home win streak to thirteen to start the season.

The night started a little sloppy with neither team getting off to a hot start, but it wasn’t long before the bigs started making their presence felt on both sides. For the Tar Heels, it was the combination of Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar that led the charge, as they combined for 19 of the team’s 46 first half points. They were helped by eight points off the bench from Jonathan Powell in just eight first half minutes. On the other side, it was Donnie Freeman who buoyed the Orange, pouring in 18 of the team's 32 first half points, and helping keep the game close until the final few minutes of the half. After Syracuse cut the lead to 34-29 with 3:05 remaining, the Tar Heels would close the half on a 12-3 run to take a 14-point lead into the locker room.

The Tar Heels would extend the run out to start the second half, stretching it to as much as a 38-9 run that would put the team on top 72-40 at the 9:56 mark of the second half. From that point forward, though, Syracuse would go on a 37-11 run of their own that would cut the Tar Heel lead to six with :42 remaining. With the starters back in the game, the Tar Heels would close things out, but it was another frustrating finish to a game that seemed to be under wraps just nine minutes prior.

Leading the way for the Tar Heels once again was Caleb Wilson, who scored in double-figures for the 22nd straight game to begin his Tar Heel career and reached the 20-point mark for a record 16th time, breaking the record previously held by him as of Saturday. He finished with 22 points and nine rebounds, while frontcourt mate Henri Veesaar had 17 points and 11 rebounds of his own in what was another successful night for the frontcourt. Guards Jonathan Powell (12 points, 4-5 FG, 3-4 3-pt) and Luka Bogavac (10 pts, 4-6 FG, 1-1 3-pt) were the team’s other double-figure scorers as part of a bench unit that finished the night with 29 points.

Considering the Tar Heels hadn’t won the game prior to the first matchup with Duke since the 2021-22 season, any type of win here was important, but this team will need to play a much more complete game and avoid the lapses that they dealt with in this one if they want to beat the Blue Devils on Saturday.

1. Offense Remains Hot: The Tar Heels was one of the country's most efficient offenses in the month of January and that continued on Monday night. Despite the game becoming closer than it should have been because the Tar Heels took their foot off the gas on both ends of the floor, the team still put up a very healthy 1.27 points per possession. Although they went a little cold late, this is still the side of the ball that you can put your trust in going into Saturday’s game with Duke.

2. Bigs Pace the Way Again: During the broadcast, it was brought up that the Tar Heels might boast the top frontcourt in the country and that duo made another solid submission towards that being the case in this one. Wilson and Veesaar combined for a 39-point, 20-rebound night, which has become about average for these two in conference play. Wilson, who struggled a bit from the field, really shined at the foul line, making 10 of his 13 attempts, one of his best marks of the season. Meanwhile, Veesaar completed his 12th double-double of the season, which is the best mark in the ACC to this point.

3. Bogavac Continues Strong Play: It has taken a while, but the Luka Bogavac that we thought we were getting this offseason has arrived. Tonight, he poured in those ten points on 4-6 from the field and made his only three of the night, giving him his third-straight game with double-figures scoring. It is amazing how much more confident Bogavac has looked now that his role has become more defined and it is a big part of the reason that the Tar Heels offense has taken the steps that it has in the past month.

4. Powell Shines in Limited Minutes: The bench as a whole was productive on Monday night, but it was led by Powell who had one of his best performances of the season. In just 13 minutes, he scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and knocked down a team-high three 3-pointers for the team on the way to just his second double-digit performance of the season (17 vs. USC Upstate). The hope is that his performance tonight can carry over into Saturday’s game with Duke because his perimeter shooting and defensive abilities will be more than welcomed.

5. Sleepwalking Late Has to Stop: This game felt similar to the team’s game against Navy back in the non-conference where they led by as many as 24 in the second half before allowing the Midshipmen to make a run to get the game back to single-digits with 1:58 to go. The team had an even closer scare a few weeks ago where they led Wake Forest by 15 with 9:50 to go before the Demon Deacons went on a run to close the lead to as little as one multiple times in the final few minutes. This is an issue that the team has to figure out a way to get ironed out before it costs them a game.