Two days after he deployed a never-before-seen small lineup to beat Florida State, UNC head coach Roy Williams saw his team return to the style he’s become known for on Monday against Syracuse.

The ninth-ranked Tar Heels pounded the ball inside with great success against the Orange’s trademark 2-3 zone on the way to an 85-68 victory at the Dean Dome—a win that gave Williams 800 for his career.

With freshman center Tony Bradley out for the second straight game with a concussion, senior big men Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks were again put in a position where they had to carry the load for the Tar Heels down low.

Isaiah Hicks led the Tar Heels with 20 points against Syracuse–his third straight outing with at least 16. (Todd Melet)

This time, though, they each came through in a big way—as they combined for 35 points and 20 rebounds against a Syracuse team that put together a few solid runs but couldn’t quite match UNC’s offensive firepower.

The Tar Heel frontcourt exploited the Orange on numerous occasions by forcing the ball into whoever was playing in the soft spot of the zone defense—the space around the elbow and the free throw line.

Whether it was a big man like Hicks, Meeks and reserve Luke Maye–or even wing players like Justin Jackson or Theo Pinson–occupying that position, good things always seemed to follow.

Although many coaches aim to take advantage of the open perimeter shots that a zone allows, Williams believed his team could have much more success attacking the middle with their talented big men—despite not having much time to work on it in practice.

“Kennedy and Isaiah kept doing some things for us inside while they were making all their shots, then finally we got them to miss a couple,” Williams said. “They’re really a difficult team to play. They play a zone that’s more unusual.

“Saturday we played a game, so Sunday we had a short practice and that’s the only time we spent trying to get ready for Syracuse’s zone,” he continued. “It’s very difficult. They do a great job with it.”

It was a fitting way for Williams to earn his 800th victory, a milestone he reached faster than all but one coach in the history of the sport, former Kentucky legend Adolph Rupp. The man known for his inside-out, run-and-gun system notched one of his most historic victories in a way that represents everything he’s been about for 29 years.

Kennedy Meeks posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds as UNC continually pounded the ball inside against Syracuse’s zone. (Todd Melet)

Junior point guard Joel Berry, who has been the team’s Mr. Everything to this point, scored just 10 points against Syracuse on only seven shot attempts.

Contrast that with the 42 combined attempts by Meeks, Hicks and Jackson—not to mention UNC’s 44-24 rebounding advantage—and its blatantly clear how this game was won.

Afterwards, Berry confirmed that this plan was in many ways based on the Tar Heels’ three wins over Syracuse last season.

“We’ve had success against their 2-3 getting the ball down inside,” Berry said. “That’s what we tried to do, and I think we did a great job of that. Sometimes we settled for threes, but other than that I think we did a great job of getting it down and letting our big men be effective.”

By the time the final buzzer sounded, however, the spotlight shifted over from the players to their head coach.

While it’s important moving forward that the Tar Heels have established that they can play any style they need in order to win, this night was more about celebrating the career of a Hall-of-Famer who has meant so much to the UNC community.

Video tributes from former players were played after the game, with the current team joining him at midcourt for the celebration.

One player who seemed exceptionally happy for his coach was Pinson, who spoke about the connection he and Williams have built together since the junior was a high-schooler coming out of the Greensboro area.

“I had a conversation with him on the phone [in high school] and right after that I called him back and was like ‘I wanna come here,’” Pinson said. “He’s so down to earth and he lets people be themselves. It’s just the type of program I like to be in.”

Williams spoke to the crowd after the game. (Todd Melet)

Williams also accepted gifts that included a signed pair of Air Jordan shoes and gave a speech during the ceremony–spending most of that time crediting his former players and focusing on what they’ve meant to him.

He also noted later during his press conference that while he’s mellowed out over his career, the biggest change he’s made over the last 100 wins has to do with where his focus lies.

As much as he hates losing and strives to win as much as possible, he recognizes there’s so much more than just that.

“From 700 [wins] to 800, the kids have been my salvation,” Williams said. “You guys know the junk that’s been going on.

“I’ve taken a lot of it personally because I was not involved,” he continued. “The kids and the way they’ve made me feel, and the way they’ve made me enjoy coaching and enjoy life every day—that’s a special thing.”

Up Next:

UNC will travel to face Boston College this Saturday, as the Tar Heels will look to continue their five-game win streak.

Game Notes

  • The Tar Heels improved to 17-3 this season, with a 5-1 record in ACC play. Syracuse, meanwhile, fell to 11-8 with a 3-3 ACC mark.
  • Williams won his 800th game in fewer seasons (29) than any coach in history. Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski won their 800th game in their 33rd seasons.
  • Syracuse made 11 of its first 14 shots from the floor in the second half (.786), then made 4 of its next 19 to finish the game.
  • The Tar Heels scored 20 second-chance points. It was the the fourth time in the last five games–and 10th time in 20 games overall–that UNC scored at least 20 second-chance points.

 

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