Busting Brackets
Fansided

North Carolina basketball: Tar Heels must bring the show on the road

By Marcus Washington

CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 03: Joel Berry II
CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 03: Joel Berry II /
facebooktwitterreddit

Winning on the road can separate the elite teams from the good. For UNC, that’s the next step for them.

North Carolina heads to Syracuse riding a five game winning streak but more importantly, they have won two straight on the road. The Tar Heels have a 3-4 conference road record win the most recent wins coming at North Carolina State and Louisville.

Luckily for the Heels, their offense traveled in the 95-91 win over North Carolina State. The Wolfpack shot 54.7% from the floor including an impressive 53.8% from the three-point line. They also attempted more free throws than the Tar Heels (19-13). There was plenty of motivation for both sides coming into the game. The Tar Heels were trying to avenge their home loss to the Wolfpack while Joel Berry II stoked the flames by saying North Carolina State wasn’t a rival.

"“Honestly, there’s only one rivalry game, and it’s with Duke,” Berry said on Tuesday. “I don’t count NC State as being a rivalry. We just don’t like them, but it’s not a rivalry.”"

The saving grace for North Carolina was Luke Maye who scored 33 points while grabbing 17 rebounds. No stretch might’ve been bigger than the beginning of the 2nd half when the Kevin Love clone scored 11 points and assisted on Theo Pinson layup turning a two point deficit into a six point lead.

In the Tar Heels first win at the Yum Center, the defense was much better than it was in Raleigh. They held the Cardinals to 43.3% shooting in the second half including a game defining block by Joel Berry II. With 2:31 left in the game and the Tar Heels holding on to an 83-75 lead, Berry II chased down Ray Spalding and got a LeBron-esque block denying Spalding an easy layup.

After the game, Roy Williams spoke about how the play was the main topic in the locker room.

"“I know, God almighty, guys that’s all he talked about in the locker room,” coach Roy Williams said. “He’s yelling ‘rim protector’ and all this kind of junk.”"

The Tar Heels continue their road show on Wednesday with a trip to Syracuse. The Orange will present challenges with the unique way Coach Jim Boeheim plays the 2-3 zone. If North Carolina wants to beat Syracuse by pushing the ball, the defense will not only need to hold Syracuse to a low shooting percentage but they’ll also need to be able to force live ball turnovers. In the halfcourt, the Tar Heels will need to shoot over the Orange zone which requires Berry II, Cameron Johnson and Kenny Williams to make perimeter shots.

Syracuse has won three of their last four including a win at Miami (Fl) in their last outing.

Next: 10 teams to avoid in March

Two of the last three games for the Tar Heels are on the road. This includes a trip at Duke on Senior Day. The Tar Heels have a one game lead in the loss column over Virginia Tech, Louisville, and North Carolina State for the coveted fourth spot in the ACC. The top four teams get the “double-bye” in the ACC tournament. Winning one or both of the remaining road games is imperative if the Tar Heels want to hold on to that spot.