Busting Brackets
Fansided

North Carolina vs. Syracuse: 2018-19 College basketball game preview, TV schedule

By Anthony Brown

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 23: Frank Howard #23 of the Syracuse Orange shoots the ball against the defense of Marques Bolden (L) of the Duke Blue Devils during the second half at the Carrier Dome on February 23, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. Duke defeated Syracuse 75-65. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 23: Frank Howard #23 of the Syracuse Orange shoots the ball against the defense of Marques Bolden (L) of the Duke Blue Devils during the second half at the Carrier Dome on February 23, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. Duke defeated Syracuse 75-65. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

No. 5 North Carolina basketball (22-5, 12-2 ACC) has won three straight games heading into their matchup with Syracuse basketball (18-9, 9-5 ACC) who lost to the Duke Blue Devils 75-65 on their home floor.

TV Schedule: Tuesday, February 26 at 9 pm ET on ACC Network

Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC

North Carolina basketball is one of the best teams in the country and ACC right now. They lead the conference in points per game (87.1), assists per game (19.3), and rank in the top five in offensive efficiency (113.3) and defensive efficiency (93.6). Their leading scorers are Cameron Johnson ( 16.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 47 percent three-point shooter), Coby White (15.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG) and Luke Maye (15.1 PPG, 9.9 RPG).

In their 77-59 victory over the Florida State Seminoles, Johnson and Maye recorded double-doubles. Johnson finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Maye finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. In that game, the Tar Heels showed they have good team speed in the half court when driving to the basket. They had a little bit of trouble defending Florida State on the perimeter.

For Syracuse basketball, the Orange are led by Tyus Battle (17.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.5 APG), Elijah Hughes (13.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG) and Oshae Brissett (13 PPG, 7.8 RPG)  In Saturday’s loss, Duke’s R.J. Barrett went off on the Orange defense for 30 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Alex O’ Connell finished that game with 20 points and five rebounds. Five of his nine field goals came from behind the three-point line.

The Tar Heels won last year’s matchup with the Orange 78-74.

Because both teams can shoot the ball well, look for that to be a deciding factor in the game in addition to points in the paint and turnovers. Each team averages over 10 turnovers per game so defense will be another thing to pay attention to.

Next. Top individual runs in NCAA Tournament. dark

Upsetting the Tar Heels would do a lot for the Orange as a team because of the recent news of the fatal car accident that Head Coach Jim Boeheim was involved in. The community has rallied around their coach during a tough time and they’ll have to continue those efforts as the regular season will be coming to a close soon.

Home/North Carolina Tar Heels