GREENSBORO, NC – The second losingest season in North Carolina basketball history came to an end Wednesday night in what may have been the worst performance of the season for the Tar Heels, as they fell 81-53 to Syracuse in the second round of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum.
The Tar Heels ended their season at 14-19.
Here are 5 Takeaways from UNC’s loss to Syracuse:
The Cuse Just Wanted It
It was clear right away that Syracuse brought some serious want into this game, as the Orange asserted itself as the aggressor on offense and was more active in its zone than in recent meetings versus the Tar Heels. Syracuse was also more physical in the first game and it appeared the Tar Heels simply didn’t respond to it.
There was some shoving, pushing, bodying and intensity that each time appeared to more favor the Orange. The Cuse wanted it, and it showed.
“Yea, definitely,” UNC freshman Armando Bacot said, when asked if Syracuse had much more intensity than in the first meeting 11 days ago. “Obviously, we were hitting a lot of shots at Syracuse but today we couldn’t get anything to fall and they just came out there and smacked us.”
Final 6:47 Of The Half
UNC didn’t play well at any time Wednesday night, but the Tar Heels did manage to cut the Syracuse lead to 24-20 with 6:47 left in the first half, but that’s when the bottom fell out. The Orange closed the half on a 19-2 to seize control of the game it wouldn’t relinquish.
The Orange was 7-for-11 from the field during the run and also outrebounded Carolina 10-5. UNC was 1-for-10 with three turnovers during the run, as Syracuse took a 43-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
“They ended up getting a lot better shots that they wanted, they forced us to take a lot of bad shots,” Garrison Brooks said. “I think we turned the ball over a couple times in that stretch, and they took advantage of our mistakes.”
Anthony's Final Three Games
As splendidly as Cole Anthony played during UNC’s three-game win streak, he performed as poorly over the final three games.
In the wins over N.C. State, Syracuse and Wake Forest, Anthony was a combined 23-for-39 from the field, including 12-for-20 from 3-point range with 72 points, 19 assists and seven turnovers.
In Cole Anthony’s last three games: 9-for-34 from the floor, including 2-for-11 from 3-point range for 24 points, with 10 assists and 12 turnovers. In his last game as a Tar Heel, Anthony finished with a season-low five points while fellow freshman point guard Joe Girard finished with eight assists and no turnovers for Syracuse.
Defenseless
Syracuse was 9-for-22 from the floor at one point but finished the game making 19 of its last 34 shot attempts. The Orange picked apart the Tar Heels in the open court and in the half court, often getting layups and dunks (14 combined) and plenty of open stuff all over.
The hot shooting began at the previously noted 6:47 mark of the first half, as Syracuse outscored the Tar Heels 57-33 over the final 26:47 of the game.
Not Scorching This Time
Carolina shot 51.6 percent from the floor 11 days earlier in the Carrier Dome, including making 12 of 26 from 3-point range, but Wednesday night the Heels were 20-for-60 (33.3 percent) from the floor, including 2-for-16 from 3-point range.
Their poor shooting is one reason Syracuse owned a 15-2 edge in fast break points, and when the Heels weren’t missing shots they were often turning it over, something they did 18 times leading to a 27-4 advantage for the Orange in points off of turnovers.
