Syracuse basketball shot the lights out and got energy from the dome crowd in an 86-79 upset over the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Syracuse started exceptionally hot from the field, hitting 9 of their first 13 shots. Maliq Brown was the calalyst, as the undersized big man stretched outside for a pair of threes, on route to a packed stat line of 8 points, 2 rebounds, an assist, steal, and block in five minutes.
The Orange defense also held star UNC guard RJ Davis scoreless for about the first 14 minutes of the game. Davis eventually dropped in a bucket, and the Heels overtook the lead, followed by some back-and-forth basketball to end the half.
JJ Starling helped Syracuse basketball down the stretch of the half, leading the Orange after 20 minutes with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting. However, Davis, Armando Bacot, and Harrison Ingram all had two fouls in the first half, prompting some unusual coaching adjustments from Hubert Davis.
Syracuse started out hot again to begin the second half, bursting out on a 10-1 run.
Davis eventually caught fire, helping Carolina to keep pace with the Orange. However, a few timely and arguably lucky threes from JJ Starling helped Syracuse stay in front and finish out the game for the seven point win.
Judah Mintz led the way offensively with 25 points, missing just three shots from the field. As a team, Syracuse basketball forced 10 steals, critical due to their lack of size compared to UNC.
Takeaway #1: Syracuse showed their potential
It’s still a young bunch on the Hill with six of the seven rotation players being sophomores. The talent is there, but the production hasn’t always been. On Tuesday night, the production was exceptional.
“This game today was the best game obviously that we’ve played all year,” said head coach Adrian Autry. “I thought everybody that played in the game was outstanding.”
The six main players for Syracuse all made at least one shot from the field and shot at least 45% from the floor. Mounir Hima played six minutes, but did a good job of not fouling underneath against Armando Bacot, who is one of the most challenging big men to defend in the country.
The backcourt of Judah Mintz and JJ Starling was out of this world. The two stars combined for 48 points on 17-of-26 shooting, doing most of their damage in the mid-range game. Of course, two of Starling’s threes – one of them being a 40-footer over Bacot with the clock winding down – were the type of shots needed to pull off an upset.
“Big time game by their two star players, Starling and Mintz,” said North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram.
Syracuse fans expected games like this in the offseason after the hype of Mintz’s freshman season and Starling’s return to Syracuse. Tuesday night was an example of what can go right when both players are playing well.
Takeaway #2: UNC can feel the pressure
With UNC’s loss to Syracuse, that now makes three losses in the last five games. The Tar Heels, who were once considered a 1 seed, have fallen much further down the line and are trying to hold on to a 2 seed projection. After the game, you could sense their frustration.
“Tough loss. Tough stretch. It’s tough when you lose games that you feel like we should win,” said Bacot. “It’s not going to be easy to get where we want to be.”
Of course, after the win over Duke, Bacot made a fiery statement, saying, “At the end of the day, the ACC runs through me.” Since that quote, his Heels are 1-2, with the lone win coming against Miami by just one possession.
What needs to change?
“For us, we want to live in the paint, live at the free throw line,” said UNC head coach Hubert Davis. “We just didn’t do it at the level we needed to.”
UNC only shot 11 free throws – 14 fewer than Syracuse. However, the disparity is mostly because of North Carolina’s late game fouls to try and get back into the game. With 1:36, the Heels started fouling down four points. At that point in the game, UNC’s 11 free throw attempts led Syracuse’s nine.
The bigger concern for Davis was not with the lack of calls, but about North Carolina lacking aggression.
“Because of their zone, we didn’t attack the basket,” said Davis.
That will be a point of emphasis on Saturday when North Carolina hosts Virginia Tech.
Takeaway #3: Syracuse basketball can win games because of the crowd
The students and fans can’t make shots, draw up plays, or rebound the basketball (although they will let the players and coaches know when they’re falling short of those things). They can give the team an extra boost and make it hard for the other side to gain momentum.
“Seeing the Loud House super loud was cool. Super exciting,” said forward Chris Bell. “I’ve never hear the Loud House that loud so I see why that’s its name.”
For someone whose gone to Syracuse games for a few decades, I can attest to the fact that it was one of the most consistently loud games I’ve been to in a while. The students nearly got ahead of themselves, starting to get ready to storm the court with about 50 seconds left, and still a lot of game time to go.
“Everybody saw it,” said Judah Mintz. “It was a little too soon, but it would be on us if we didn’t get the win, so can’t blame them.”
The win marks the first over a top 10 team for Syracuse basketball since Duke in 2019. It’s also easily the first significant win of Autry’s coaching career. SU will need to refocus on the weekend for Georgia Tech.
Next game for the Syracuse Orange: at Georgia Tech (Feb. 17 – 5:30 p.m.)
Next game for the North Carolina Tar Heels: vs. Virginia Tech (Feb. 17 – 2 p.m.)