Preview: #7 North Carolina vs. Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome

 


(Photo Courtesy Jim Hawkins/Inside Carolina) 

Chapel Hill - #7 UNC will make an appearance at the JMA Wireless Dome to take on Syracuse for a second time this season. In this last contest between the two teams, UNC was able to secure a win in blowout fashion at home, 103-67. RJ Davis charged the Heels with 22 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the field and 4 of 6 from the three-point range. This outing was part of UNC's 10-game winning streak that eventually ended in the hands of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Today's game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m on ESPN. 
 
In a tight-knit battle against the Miami Hurricanes, North Carolina was able to leave Coral Cables with a 75-72 win. RJ Davis had a quiet 25 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Davis completed his scoring on 6 of 19 from the field, 5 of 11 from beyond the arc, but went 100% (8-8) from the free throw line. Elliot Cadeau contributed to the stat sheet with a career-high of 19 points and eight assists, displaying an all-around performance and arguably his best game of the season. The Stanford transfer, Harrison Ingram, added 13 points, five rebounds, and two blocks. An efficient scoring night overall for Coach Davis' squad, shooting 41% FG, 36% 3PT, and 67% FT. 
 
Although the Syracuse Orange were at home against the Clemson Tigers in their last clash, they fell by a score of 77-68. JJ Starling and Chris Bell both tallied 16 points each, while Quadir Copeland came off the bench to add 13 points of his own. Syracuse lost the rebounding battle by a wide margin of 17 (41-24) and gave up 48 points in the paint to the Tigers. However, they were able to force 21 turnovers against Clemson and turn those into 15 points. The Orange's largest lead throughout the 40 minutes was three points, which came after a Maliq Brown three-pointer at the 17:58 mark of the first half. 

Projected Starting Lineups 

Elliot Cadeau 
RJ Davis 
Cormac Ryan 
Harrison Ingram
Armando Bacot 

JJ Starling 
Judah Mints
Justin Taylor 
Chris Bell
Maliq Brown

Key Matchup 

RJ Davis vs. Judah Mintz is the key matchup to keep an eye on in tonight's contest. Davis averages 22 points, four rebounds, and four assists while holding numbers of 44% FG and 42% 3PT on the season. Mintz, the sophomore out of Fort Washington, Maryland, averages 18 points, three rebounds, and five assists going into tonight's ACC slate. The guard possesses 43% FG and 33% 3PT in 24 games into the 2023-2024 campaign. 

The Projected Winner by the Numbers 

UNC is listed at 80.5%, according to the matchup predictor on ESPN Analytics.

 



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