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A game of zones. Syracuse played it, the Tar Heels rarely do.
It was only a trap game when the Orange began by shooting the lights out and Carolina could not stop them. So their 36-point loss in Chapel Hill last month fell away in favor of growing confidence at home that you can’t allow against underdog college basketball players regardless of their record.
The result was Syracuse avenging its worst loss in more than 20 years, and the Heels finding themselves barely holding onto first place in the ACC with trips to Virginia and Duke left plus four home games.
“We couldn’t stop them one on one,” Hubert Davis said after the 86-79 loss to an unranked team of a rookie head coach. That about sums it up.
Syracuse is known for playing a 2-3 zone almost exclusively over four-plus decades under Coach Jim Boeheim. Prior to this game, new coach Adrian Autry only played zone about 13 percent of the time, according to TV talking heads. But Autry may have learned from other teams using it against the Heels.
His team made Carolina take tough outside shots and work hard going to the basket while the ‘Cuse hit a season-high 63 percent, the best against UNC since a 2015 loss to Pitt, which shot 64 percent. Davis’ team tried some double-teams and pressure but played mostly man-to-man against a foe that made everything, from easy shots to tough ones to an impossible banked-in 30-footer when UNC thought it would have the lead and the ball.
The Tar Heels looked prepared and, when Syracuse went to the zone almost exclusively, had point guard Elliot Cadeau flash through the middle and become the facilitator who finished with seven assists. Carolina kept coming back from deep deficits until the crazy last 90 seconds when the Orange were missing but retaining the ball on offensive rebounds or turnovers by the Heels.
They shot 47 percent and made a dozen 3-pointers, which is usually good enough to win. They dominated offensive rebounding and second-chance points, both by 18-3 margins. They had 19 assists on 29 baskets, which is excellent team basketball. But they only got to the foul line 11 times, making 9, compared to 18 of 25 for Syracuse.
A 20-6 run brought the Heels back from a 10-point deficit to a four-point lead before the first half ended tied at 42. And how they did it was impressive with balanced scoring to cover for R.J. Davis’ three points and 54 percent outside shooting. But the Orange opened the second half on a 10-1 run and played zone for most of the remaining game, and it was active enough to hold the Heels to 5-for-14 from the arc after halftime.
So with the ACC lead about gone and the race tighter than ever, it’s back to the drawing board, especially on defense.
Featured image via Associated Press/Adrian Kraus
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
I so love it when Chansky chants. I never jump off the ledge until the Chansky chants. I read all the other pundits, and then wait patiently for the distant echo of the chant. But, Houston, we have a problem. We have a very stubborn, rigid coach who ran off 7 good payers last year, and created this team in his own image. The year before, he tried Pete Nance to shoot outside and that was a disaster. This year he brought in Cormac Ryan to shoot from the outside and that is a disaster. The very stubborn coach has reverted to his rotation and that is a disaster. He has a very nice small guard who cannot defend the bigger guards in the league, and the very stubborn coach is very loyal to the small guard and plays him the whole game. Like last year, this team is worn out. It was not the outside shooting of ‘cuse that did in the Tar Heels, it was points in the paint, but the very stubborn coach never adjusted his defense. This guy is a disaster for Tar Heel basketball. Until the Big Rams say they have had enough, we will see more disasters, including an early round of 32 exit in the tournament. Excuse me, I need to find the ledge.
Syracuse’s zone was relentless and forced UNC out of its normal offensive flow. You can be sure other teams will take note of UNC’s struggles in the half court. Cadeau did a great job but just for curiosity, I would like to have seen Jalen Washington at the foul line in the zone with Bacot down low. And the bench. Remember the bench?