Syracuse men’s basketball frustrations continue with loss to No. 16 North Carolina

Syracuse men’s basketball had the chance to bounce back at home against No. 16 North Carolina after Monday’s blowout loss to third-ranked Duke. With the Tar Heels reeling after a blowout loss to NC State and missing star forward Caleb Wilson, things were lining up nicely for the Orange. 

Instead, the frustrating season for the Orange continued as they came up short in a 77-64 loss to UNC. 

The ‘Cuse struggled to create consistent offense, only shooting 42% from the field and 18% from three-point range. 

Despite that, they were able to tie the game at 44 with 12 minutes left in the second half, but the Tar Heels went on a 12-2 run to pull away and kept the lead for the remainder of the game.

Head coach Adrian Autry said the team’s inability to score shrunk the floor and was the difference in the loss. 

“It’s tough to win shooting the ball that way,” Autry said. “Against a team like Carolina, you can’t leave points on the table.”

Senior guard J.J. Starling led the way with 22 points for SU, but his running mates, Nate Kingz, Naithan George and Donnie Freeman, combined for only 20 points on seven-of-25 shooting. 

Freeman, who had a lot of success against the Tar Heels earlier in the year, only scored nine points and struggled with the constant pressure from UNC. He was also ejected at the end of the game after picking up his second technical foul. 

“He was frustrated because it was a physical game,” Autry said. “We have to stay composed in those moments.”

For the Heels, even with the absence of Wilson, they were able to sustain physicality in the paint. Head coach Hubert Davis praised his team’s ability to stay in the moment, specifically forward Zayden High, who finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.

“I keep telling our guys to be ready to perform,” Davis said. “I thought Zayden was a great example of that today.”

With only three games remaining in the regular season, Syracuse is running out of time to right the ship. They will have to rely on a strong run in the ACC tournament if they want to end their March Madness drought. Orange center William Kyle III said the team has to stay together.

“We’re not in the position we want to be in,” Kyle said. “But we have to keep fighting, that’s the biggest thing. Got to fight to the end.”

Syracuse has a week off before hitting the road next Saturday for a matchup against Wake Forest at 5:45 p.m.