UNC Men's Basketball Escapes Syracuse After Bizarre Finish

As Jones Angell once said, “the Tar Heels won it, lost it, and won it again.” That’s exactly what Carolina did once again in Syracuse on Tuesday night, escaping a valiant effort by the Orange to win 72-68.

HEELS WIN.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/3U2Zx00iIN

— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) January 25, 2023

Carolina controlled play early, leading by as many as nine points in the first half. Armando Bacot and Pete Nance did much of the heavy lifting offensively to open the game, scoring 20 of UNC’s 38 first-half points. Caleb Love shook off his seemingly season-long shooting slump by hitting all three of his three-point attempts in the half, contributing to a 51.6 percent team mark from the floor.

But the Orange were just as hot, using 12 first-half points from point guard Joe Girard to shoot 51 percent themselves in the first half. Syracuse found its footing after trailing by nine, slicing that deficit down to four by halftime. The Orange even took a one-point lead, their first of the game, early in the second half, but UNC responded with a 15-4 run, powered by five straight fast-break points from Bacot and a corner three from Nance.

The Tar Heels appeared to have the game firmly under control, but as has happened to Carolina on the road this season, things started slipping away as the clock ticked under 10 minutes. UNC’s offense went cold, as the Tar Heels would only make two shots from the floor over the next nine minutes of action. The Orange slowly and steadily made up the deficit, using threes from Girard and Chris Bell to creep closer. Girard finally put Syracuse in front by two with 1:23 remaining with his fourth three of the game. He ended the night with 18 points.

Carolina came up empty on its next offensive possession, but earned a critical stop on the other end to stay with a basket of a tie or the lead. It looked like they’d have to settle for a tie after Nance drew a foul on a dunk attempt with under 30 seconds remaining. The Northwestern transfer, who’d spent plenty of time at the free throw line on the night, made his first to cut the deficit to 68-67. With a shot to tie, Nance’s second free throw missed, but in the scrum for the rebound, Girard tried to save the ball from going over the baseline and right into the hands of the original free throw shooter: Nance. Nance seized the opportunity and scored from point-blank range to give UNC an improbable lead. It was the last of Nance’s game-high 21 points.

UNC was once again able to stop the Orange on the ensuing possession, but it came at a cost: R.J. Davis took an elbow to the face from Syracuse’s Judah Mintz as Mintz was driving to the basket. Mintz was called for an offensive foul which was eventually elevated to a flagrant 1, but Davis stayed down on the floor afterward and exited still looking dazed. He did not return for the final 10 seconds of action.

The Tar Heels were able to salt the rest of the game away on free throws, and thus escaped from upstate New York with just their second road win of the season. Unlike the first one, it didn’t come easy or without bumps or bruises along the way. Davis’ injury status will no doubt be monitored, and head coach Hubert Davis is likely feeling grateful for his team’s upcoming eight-day layoff.

Carolina is now 15-6 overall, 7-3 in conference play and tied for fourth in the conference standings. Its next game will see the team host Pittsburgh on February 1 at 7 p.m.

Featured image via UNC Basketball on Twitter

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UNC Men’s Basketball Escapes Syracuse After Bizarre Finish

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