In a wire-to-wire battle, the No. 5 North Carolina men's basketball team survived an upset bid against Syracuse, and earned a 93-85 win to remain tied for first place in the ACC.
What happened?
The Orange (18-10, 9-6 ACC) came out hot, sinking six of their first seven shots to take an early 15-6 lead. That opening stretch was led by Elijah Hughes, who sank his first two 3-point attempts to help his team jump ahead. UNC (23-5, 13-2 ACC) would answer, however, with a pair of Luke Maye free throws, then back-to-back threes by first-year Coby White and graduate Cameron Johnson to bring the score to 15-14 before a Syracuse timeout.
The two teams would then quickly settle into a back and forth affair; at the 11:49 mark, Syracuse held a narrow 21-20 lead, then a 28-27 lead at the under-8 minute timeout. It wasn't until the end of the half that the Orange began pulling away with a bevy of shots from deep. They would finish 8-17 from 3-point range in the first half, while limiting UNC to just 4-15 beyond the arc. The Tar Heels were able to cut the deficit to three just before the half, however, and trailed Syracuse, 46-43.
After the break, an explosive spurt by White keyed an 11-3 run to start the second half, in which he drilled two 3-pointers and kissed home an and-one layup. At the 15:58 mark, the Tar Heels, sparked by the efforts of White, had grabbed the momentum and a 54-49 lead.
It seemed no coincidence that the Tar Heels simultaneously ramped up the defensive intensity, forcing four turnovers and allowing just one field goal in the first five minutes of the second half.
Still, every time North Carolina threatened to pull away, Syracuse had an answer – an answer by the name of Tyus Battle. At the 11:16 mark, the junior guard tied the game with a tough contested 3-pointer at 11:16. Then, a four-point play by Battle at the 9:25 mark sliced the Tar Heel lead down to two.
But White was able to respond himself, netting a 3-pointer and a breakaway dunk to give the his team breathing room in the form of an eight-point lead with just over six minutes to go. After free throws by senior Kenny Williams, Little, and White, North Carolina managed just enough offensive production to survive late.
Though never fully comfortable, the Tar Heels were able to sand away a victory against a desperate Syracuse team and earn their 13th conference win of the season.
