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North Carolina Tar Heels: Observations from Syracuse

By John Woodcock

Feb 29, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige (5) shoots as Syracuse Orange forward Tyler Lydon (20) defends in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated Syracuse Orange 75-70 at Dean E Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 29, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige (5) shoots as Syracuse Orange forward Tyler Lydon (20) defends in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated Syracuse Orange 75-70 at Dean E Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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North Carolina Tar Heels got a needed win over Syracuse. What can they take from it as they look to the season finale with Duke?

The North Carolina Tar Heels are two days removed from their five point victory over Syracuse. It was an important victory because it guaranteed a double bye for the team in the ACC Tournament. It also turned Saturday’s game against Duke into a de facto Championship game for the Heels. If the Heels win then they are the Regular Season ACC Champions and can carry that distinction into Selection Sunday where such things matter.

Still the Syracuse game was not quite the game that the first matchup with the Orange was. The very same players who dissected the Syracuse zone earlier, Brice Johnson and Isaiah Hicks, were stuck in foul trouble for big stretches of the game. Johnson is still making the same careless fouls on Senior Night that he was making earlier in the season.

So what can the performance against Syracuse tell us about the upcoming Duke matchup?

1. Coach Roy Williams is more comfortable with small lineups now

In the first matchup with Duke, Williams left two bigs in the game a lot in order to take advantage of Duke’s lack of size. The problem was that it meant guarding Brandon Ingram on the perimeter on the other end. Perhaps there will be more use of lineups with Justin Jackson at the four to get more perimeter defense on the court. Syracuse saw variations of such lineups.

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2. Keeping the ball in Marcus Paige’s hands is a good thing

Paige still has a tremendous basketball IQ when he is on the court, regardless if he can shoot it or not. He had eight assists against Syracuse. While it is hard to fault Joel Berry, having possessions where Paige is not the off guard is best. It seems so long ago that the plan was to run a bigger lineup with Theo Pinson at the two.

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3. Kennedy Meeks took a step up

It is not coincidence that Paige and Meeks are the two Heels with big question marks right now. They are also the guys coming back from injuries. Meeks has not shown much explosion since coming back from his knee injury, but he contributed some heady hustle against Syracuse. With Hicks and Johnson having fouls, Meeks made some turnovers happen and got ten points. He even made all his free throws.

4. Senior Night can’t be over yet

Do you know what Johnson, Paige, and Joel James have in common? They are 0 for Cameron. The senior class that is so important for this team get only one more shot to win at Duke. Given the state of the Duke team, this is also their best shot.

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5. Holding off the comeback

Unlike the Duke game, the Tar Heels kept Syracuse from coming all the way back. It wasn’t pretty and the Orange got a lot closer than anybody wanted them to, but they could not get over the top.

The Tar Heels play Duke Saturday night.

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