Heel Tough Blog: Syracuse Recap

@UNCMBBStats

Looking to bounce back after Tuesday’s blowout defeat at NC State, the Tar Heels went on the road and beat Syracuse 77-64, to improve to 21-6 on the season, and 9-5 in the ACC, keeping their hopes of earning a double-bye in the ACC Tournament alive. Henri Veesaar made his return to the UNC lineup after missing the last two games, and led Carolina with 19 points, on 9-13 shooting, in 26 minutes. He was one of three UNC starters to score in double figures, on a day where Carolina shot 52% from the field, and produced points on 55% of their possessions. 

In their first meeting, Carolina built a 72-40 lead, but had to hold on after a ferocious rally from the Orange, which made it a two-possession game with less than two minutes left to play. Carolina was never able to build a 32-point lead; in fact, when Syracuse tied the game at 44, the result was very much in doubt. After a TV timeout, Carolina responded with an 8-0 run, led by senior Seth Trimble, to take control of the game, as they outscored Syracuse 33-20 down the stretch, to earn a regular season sweep of Syracuse, and improve their record to 6-6 in Quad 1 games. 

The return of Henri Veesaar meant Zayden High returned to the bench, after making his first two starts at UNC, but the big man still impacted the game, and once Caleb Wilson returns, Carolina will be able to go as many as four deep in their frontcourt. High, who recorded his first double-double in the loss to NC State, nearly recorded his second, totaling 9 points and 11 rebounds, in 19 minutes, before fouling out, via a technical foul, after jawing with a Syracuse player after a hard foul. His emergence has now impacted both wins that Carolina has registered without Wilson, and his confidence and skills have been fun to watch grow and develop over the last week and a half. High helped Carolina win the battle of the boards (38-34), and outscore Syracuse in the paint (42-32), two important categories entering the game. 

After not showing up ready to fight in the loss earlier this week to the Wolfpack, the Tar Heels proved to be the tougher team today, making the plays necessary to win the game on the road, in front of the largest on-campus crowd at a college basketball game this weekend. It hasn’t always been easy, let alone pretty, but the Tar Heels are 4-5 on the road, with one final road game to play, the regular season finale at Duke. Today’s win, though, gave us a glimpse at what this team is capable of doing, without Caleb Wilson, who is still a few weeks away from returning from injury. 

1. Veesaar Powers Carolina: Big Henri returned from injury, and he set the tone for Carolina, scoring 19 points in the win. In totality, Carolina’s frontcourt outplayed Syracuse’s, as Jarin Stevenson produced 7 points and 4 rebounds alongside Veesaar, and Zayde High added 9 and 11 off the bench. Every time Carolina needed a bucket, it was either Veesaar scoring or being involved in the action to lead to a basket. He also led a defensive effort on Donnie Freeman, which limited the leading scorer for Syracuse to just 9 points, on 3-8. A change UNC made from the first game was that they doubled whenever Freeman got the ball on the block, and that led to some turnovers, rushed shots, both positive results for the Carolina defense. 

2. Second Half Seth: After missing his only shot in the first half, Trimble scored 13 points in the second half to be a big catalyst for the UNC win. During the 8-0 run, that gave UNC a 52-44 lead, Trimble scored 6 of the 8 points, and assisted on the other. Trimble will want to have his day at the foul line back, as he was just 3-7 from the stripe, but other than that, he was a big part of the win today, and this team goes to another level when he’s a difference maker on both ends. 

3. Perimeter Offense & Perimeter Defense: After shooting 33 threes on Tuesday night, Carolina was much more deliberate tonight, only taking 16 triples. That lower shot volume led to a much more efficient night, as Carolina knocked down 6 threes to shoot 38% from the outside. Five different Tar Heels made a three, with Joanthan Powell being the only Tar Heel to make multiple, as he was 2-3 from deep. On the flipside, Carolina guarded the perimeter very well, holding the Orange to 3-17 shooting, for just 18%. 

4. Special Teams: Virtually every secondary stat went the way of the Tar Heels today, as Carolina outscored Syracuse in points off turnovers (13-4), points in the paint (42-32), and fast break points (19-9). The Orange had the advantage in second-chance points, 8-7, and both teams got 18 points off the bench. 

5. Free Throw Shooting: Had Carolina lost the game, the conversation would’ve been around the points left at the foul line, where UNC went just 15-28 for the game. Derek Dixon was the only Carolina player who attempted a free throw to not miss, as Seth Trimble (3-7), Luka Bogavac (3-7), Jarin Stevenson (3-6), and Zayden High (4-6) all missed free throws. The only excuse could be the dome setting throwing off their shooting depth, but that’s hard to believe considering how UNC shot the ball from the outside. Simply put, they can’t shoot 54% from the foul line on Monday against Louisville. 

Up Next: Carolina returns home to begin a three-game homestand, with the first game on Monday night against Louisville. Tip is set for 7 PM on ESPN.