University of North Carolina Athletics
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Lucas: Syracuse Rapid Reactions
January 13, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from the first meeting of the year with the Orange.
By Adam Lucas
1. Carolina completely took Syracuse apart on Saturday in front of a great Smith Center crowd, rolling to a 103-67 victory on a very fun day in Chapel Hill.
2. RJ Davis continues to have an All-ACC--or more--season. The Carolina senior scored 15 first half points on his way to another 22-point performance (4-for-6 from three) before leaving with ten minutes remaining and the game well in hand. Keep in mind, Carolina hasn't really yet had a consistent secondary perimeter offensive threat to pair with Davis--the rest of the Tar Heels were 3-for-20 from three-point range on Saturday. If and when that happens on a regular basis, the Tar Heels will be a very dangerous offensive team.
3. A variety of Tar Heels drew the defensive assignment on high-scoring Judah Mintz, and it was a solid team effort as Carolina again did a good job (just as against Pitt's Blake Hinson, Clemson's PJ Hall and State's DJ Burns) against the opponent's best offensive threat. Mintz finished with 21 inconsequential points.
4. The defense will get plenty of deserved attention, as Carolina suffocated the Orange in the first half for a third straight sub-30% defensive field goal performance, but watching Carolina pass on Saturday was fun. Elliot Cadeau sets the tone--he had a couple beautiful feeds--but it's not just the UNC guards. Even the big men are finding open teammates, as Jalen Washington did with an inside-outside look to RJ Davis for a first half three-pointer. It happened again in the second half, as Jae'Lyn Withers fed James Okonkwo for an easy basket and Bacot hit Cormac Ryan with a length of the court pass for an easy basket. The Heels had 16 assists on 37 field goals but it felt like more.
5. If it's fun to watch the passing on the offensive end, the effort and energy on the defensive end is equally enjoyable. On three separate occasions in the first half, different Tar Heels were on the floor to recover loose balls. That most often led to transition offense opportunities, and Carolina's pace looked very strong against a Syracuse team that wasn't prepared to play that quickly. Carolina led the fast break points category, 20-9. Of course, they also led virtually every category in what was a complete domination.
6. Included in that dominance: rebounding. Carolina had a 53-30 edge on the glass and a whopping 19-7 offensive rebounding edge. Armando Bacot led the way with 11, giving him his 76th career double-double when paired with his 16 points. He now has four double-doubles in the last five meetings with Syracuse.
7. Big day for Bacot. Nice moment before the game when Phil Ford was on hand to present him with the game ball from Bacot's 2,000th point. Bacot is one of just seven Carolina players to reach that mark. Ford, of course, is another.
8. The big margin throughout the game, along with some foul trouble, allowed Hubert Davis to get some big minutes for his bench throughout the afternoon. Washington had six points and four rebounds in nine first half minutes in relief of Bacot. Washington's contributions were part of a UNC bench scoring edge that was 17-4 in the first half against a Syracuse team that is not deep. The final bench points tally, with Tar Heel subs playing most of the final fourth of the game, was 39-19.
9. Great to see Marvin Williams get a warm reception when he was shown on the video board. Williams, who is working with the Charlotte Hornets, is one of the most genuinely nice people to come through the program this century.
10. You might have noticed the band looking a little more resplendent than usual. They debuted new shirts for the game, and they weren't just any shirts--they were designed by Alexander Julian, the famed fashion designer and Carolina alum. Julian's fingerprints are now all over game day at the Smith Center--he also, of course, designed Carolina's iconic basketball uniforms, and his argyle design has become synonymous with Tar Heel athletics.
11. Speaking of uniforms, the Tar Heels wore their Charlie Scott-era throwbacks for the first time this season on Saturday.
12. Carolina has quietly dominated the series with Syracuse since the ACC added the Orange. The record since that point is now 13-3 in favor of the Tar Heels, and the Heels have won 13 of the last 15. Next on the schedule is Louisville Wednesday night at 9. The opponent and game time mean it's a prime opportunity to get reasonable tickets to see what has been a very entertaining Carolina team.
1. Carolina completely took Syracuse apart on Saturday in front of a great Smith Center crowd, rolling to a 103-67 victory on a very fun day in Chapel Hill.
2. RJ Davis continues to have an All-ACC--or more--season. The Carolina senior scored 15 first half points on his way to another 22-point performance (4-for-6 from three) before leaving with ten minutes remaining and the game well in hand. Keep in mind, Carolina hasn't really yet had a consistent secondary perimeter offensive threat to pair with Davis--the rest of the Tar Heels were 3-for-20 from three-point range on Saturday. If and when that happens on a regular basis, the Tar Heels will be a very dangerous offensive team.
3. A variety of Tar Heels drew the defensive assignment on high-scoring Judah Mintz, and it was a solid team effort as Carolina again did a good job (just as against Pitt's Blake Hinson, Clemson's PJ Hall and State's DJ Burns) against the opponent's best offensive threat. Mintz finished with 21 inconsequential points.
4. The defense will get plenty of deserved attention, as Carolina suffocated the Orange in the first half for a third straight sub-30% defensive field goal performance, but watching Carolina pass on Saturday was fun. Elliot Cadeau sets the tone--he had a couple beautiful feeds--but it's not just the UNC guards. Even the big men are finding open teammates, as Jalen Washington did with an inside-outside look to RJ Davis for a first half three-pointer. It happened again in the second half, as Jae'Lyn Withers fed James Okonkwo for an easy basket and Bacot hit Cormac Ryan with a length of the court pass for an easy basket. The Heels had 16 assists on 37 field goals but it felt like more.
5. If it's fun to watch the passing on the offensive end, the effort and energy on the defensive end is equally enjoyable. On three separate occasions in the first half, different Tar Heels were on the floor to recover loose balls. That most often led to transition offense opportunities, and Carolina's pace looked very strong against a Syracuse team that wasn't prepared to play that quickly. Carolina led the fast break points category, 20-9. Of course, they also led virtually every category in what was a complete domination.
6. Included in that dominance: rebounding. Carolina had a 53-30 edge on the glass and a whopping 19-7 offensive rebounding edge. Armando Bacot led the way with 11, giving him his 76th career double-double when paired with his 16 points. He now has four double-doubles in the last five meetings with Syracuse.
7. Big day for Bacot. Nice moment before the game when Phil Ford was on hand to present him with the game ball from Bacot's 2,000th point. Bacot is one of just seven Carolina players to reach that mark. Ford, of course, is another.
8. The big margin throughout the game, along with some foul trouble, allowed Hubert Davis to get some big minutes for his bench throughout the afternoon. Washington had six points and four rebounds in nine first half minutes in relief of Bacot. Washington's contributions were part of a UNC bench scoring edge that was 17-4 in the first half against a Syracuse team that is not deep. The final bench points tally, with Tar Heel subs playing most of the final fourth of the game, was 39-19.
9. Great to see Marvin Williams get a warm reception when he was shown on the video board. Williams, who is working with the Charlotte Hornets, is one of the most genuinely nice people to come through the program this century.
10. You might have noticed the band looking a little more resplendent than usual. They debuted new shirts for the game, and they weren't just any shirts--they were designed by Alexander Julian, the famed fashion designer and Carolina alum. Julian's fingerprints are now all over game day at the Smith Center--he also, of course, designed Carolina's iconic basketball uniforms, and his argyle design has become synonymous with Tar Heel athletics.
11. Speaking of uniforms, the Tar Heels wore their Charlie Scott-era throwbacks for the first time this season on Saturday.
12. Carolina has quietly dominated the series with Syracuse since the ACC added the Orange. The record since that point is now 13-3 in favor of the Tar Heels, and the Heels have won 13 of the last 15. Next on the schedule is Louisville Wednesday night at 9. The opponent and game time mean it's a prime opportunity to get reasonable tickets to see what has been a very entertaining Carolina team.
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