North Carolina men's basketball rides defense to win over Syracuse, 5-0 start to ACC play

At the beginning of the season, Hubert Davis showed his team a clip from NBA legend Kevin Garnett. 

“[Garnett] was talking about defense and he says, ‘I'm only in the place where I was supposed to be because I knew my teammate was going to be where he was supposed to be,’ the head coach said, describing the clip. "And I said 'That's the type of trust we need to have out there on the floor.'"

In UNC's 103-67 blowout of Syracuse on Saturday, this defensive focus was evident. The Tar Heels, who rank fifth in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom, held the Orange to just 37 percent shooting from the field and finished with 13 steals — their most in a game since Feb. 16, 2019. In total, seven different players for North Carolina tallied a steal and the Tar Heels have now held five consecutive opponents to under 40 percent shooting for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

The growth on defense is evident throughout the lineup. In particular, junior forward Harrison Ingram and graduate forward Jae'Lyn Withers have been sparks out of the transfer portal for Hubert Davis. Withers said he and Ingram feed off of one another’s energy, which brings out the best in both of them.

“We both love it on the defensive end,” Withers said. “I think that's how we get going. Once we lock in on defense, I think the offense comes second nature.”

Returners to the lineup have made an impact as well. Senior guard and ACC leading scorer RJ Davis also ranks top 15 in the conference in steals. In Saturday’s contest, he added five more to his total, tying a career high that he set earlier in the season.

While most of the talk surrounding RJ Davis has been in reference to his scoring output, he said he takes pride on the defensive end as well.

“This is definitely, by far, the best team I’ve been on defensively,” RJ Davis said.

Ingram and Hubert Davis credited Director of Recruiting Pat Sullivan as a major reason for this success. Ingram said Sullivan is the defensive coach, and he’s made him feel more prepared on defense than he’s ever been. The Tar Heels spend time with Sullivan running over plays and sets, allowing them to switch up their look for each game.

“I feel like I'm out there telling people, calling out their plays, like LeBron [James] does,” Ingram said. “I'm telling them what to do on offense”

The Tar Heels have taken a conceptual approach to the film room, prioritizing conversations between players rather than simply pointing out mistakes. In preparation for Saturday’s game, UNC emphasized guarding Syracuse guard Judah Mintz, making sure to deny him the ball whenever he's one pass away. This type of dialogue has brought the unit closer together.

Ingram said he did not always know the whole team could reach this level on the defensive end. He marked the game against Pittsburgh, in which they were still able to find a way to win despite an off-night shooting, as the turning point.

As ACC play continues to roll on and stakes only get higher, defense will need to be UNC’s calling card if it hopes to make a run in the postseason. With the level of trust growing between the Tar Heels, Ingram is confident that their defensive production will only continue.

“No team can really prepare for us,” Ingram said. “They have no idea what to do.”

@brendan_lunga18

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