Saturday night’s already for hoopin’
The Syracuse Orange (11-14, 5-9) hope to make it two years in a row with a home win over the North Carolina Tar Heels (14-11. 7-6) The game will tip off at 6:00 on ESPN and here’s what we’re watching for:
Kevin: Running the offense through the post
Eddie Lampkin was dominant against Miami for 30 minutes, then the Canes and his Syracuse teammates took him out of the offense down the stretch. All year (well the last few years) I’ve watched Syracuse perimeter players struggle to feed the post and they need to stop being so indecisive. Drop a bounce pass to Eddie and when the defense collapses, flash to the rim and he’ll find you. This could be a game where using Lampkin in the high post to feed Jyare Davis could be an effective strategy.
Mike: A Pulse
Tuesday’s loss in Miami has to be demoralizing especially knowing no help is coming via Donnie Freeman. I really don’t expect much out of the final few weeks but this is the last “big” game left, against a program SU massively upset last season. They’re not nearly as good now either so don’t let them look it.
Dom: Matching the results on offense
UNC enters the game with the second-most points per game and third-best field goal percentage in the ACC, mainly getting its offense through R.J. Davis (ninth in PPG in ACC) and by attacking the rim. Considering Syracuse’s defense arguably had its worst performance of the year against Miami, it might need to be up to the offense to produce offense and keep pace, and the Orange will especially need a strong day from J.J. Starling to combat Davis’ scoring.
Szuba: Playing time distribution
More on Mike’s point above, it’s hard to come up with good reasons for this team to keep competing hard. This is the last big brand opponent on the schedule and let’s acknowledge the ACC Tournament is still in play, but what else is Syracuse playing for at this point? The fan base has turned its eyes toward next season and while I understand coaches play one game at a time and focus on what’s in front, I’m not so sure the staff shouldn’t mentally turn the page to next season, too. With that in mind, do we start to see potential returning players getting more playing time? That’s what I’ll be watching for the rest of the way.
Sam: Go down low
North Carolina’s frontcourt has been a major issue all year. They knew in the offseason that what they had wouldn’t be enough – as evidenced by high-profile pursuits of Cliff Omoruyi and other bigs in the transfer portal, but none yielded fruit. Syracuse should try to pound the rock inside, and create looks off of that.
Max: Force the outside shot
Arguably the most one-dimensional scoring team in conference play, North Carolina scores the biggest chunk of its points from two-point range (56.5%, first) while staying away from beyond the arc (26.1% of points come from three, 16th in ACC per KenPom). No one on the entire Tar Heels roster shoots over 39% from deep, so the Orange need to lock down the paint defensively and make the visitors beat them from outside.
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What will you be watching for tomorrow night?