Tuesday, January 17, 2017

UNC Beats the Tar Out of the Orange on Tobacco Road, 85-68

Story by Jon Cerio

Photos by Brianna Adams

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Well so much for Southern hospitality.  North Carolina bullied its way to 17-3 on the year, 5-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, with an impressive 85-68 victory over the Syracuse Orange on Monday night.  The Tar Heels out-rebounded Syracuse 44-24, including 18-6 on the offensive glass.  Isaiah Hicks, Justin Jackson, Kennedy Meeks, and Joel Berry II all scored in double figures for the Heels, and the three big men added 30 rebounds.

"I thought we played well, we did a lot of things well," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said.  "Mostly everything well except defensive rebounding."

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams was gracious after getting his 800th career win. “They’re really a difficult team to play,” Williams said “They play a zone that’s more unusual so you practice it.”


Blasted on the boards

The Orange shot 44 percent from the field, starting the second half 9-12 from the field.  Tyler Lydon’s 26 points on 11-14 shooting were enough to overcome the rebounding margin and the disparity with points in the paint – which the Tar Heels won 46-20.

Syracuse did not play poorly on the offensive end.  The guard play was a bit suspect, with John Gillon going 1-7 from the field with four points and six assists and  Frank Howard played just one minute.

During the postgame news conference, Boeheim was asked why he stuck with Gillon for the entirety.  


"What's the difference?" he quipped.

Enjoy It While It Lasts

The game was fairly competitive throughout much of the contest in the Dean Dome.  Taurean Thompson got the Orange going with the game’s first points at 19:37.  The 2-0 lead was the only time Syracuse had the advantage the entire game.

North Carolina responded with 12-0 run, bookended by triples from Joel Berry II.  The run also saw back-to-back Kennedy Meeks layups and an Isaiah Hicks slam.

“I’m trying to attack, to use my body to my advantage,” Hicks said.  “Get to the rim, get to the free throw line, just try to make everybody be aware.”

Tyler Roberson picked up where he left off in last year’s Final Four matchup against the Tar Heels, combating the run with a 6-0 run of his own, cutting the lead to 12-8 at the 13:03 mark.

From the early going, it was apparent that UNC was going to give the Orange fits on the glass.  Before Syracuse could tally its first rebound of the game, the Tar Heels already had six.

Battling Back

After a Justin Jackson layup, Tyus Battle sunk a three to get Syracuse within three at 14-11.  Battle shined with his aggression and range with 13 points, three rebounds and four steals.

Following a Berry jumper, Lydon connected from beyond the arc to cut the lead to two at 16-14.  His 26 points were only three shy of his career high.  The two point margin was the closest Syracuse would get the rest of the way.

"Offensively, we did a lot of positive things," Boeheim said.  "We needed a couple more plays and a couple less turnovers, but we really needed a couple more defensive rebounds."

On Their Heels

For the remainder of the first half, it was one step forward, two steps back, for Syracuse.  Lydon’s three was followed by a Luke Maye jumper and a Hicks dunk.  A Gillon three-pointer with 8:15 left in the half was followed by a Meeks layup and tip in.  White’s first triple at the 4:53 mark was followed by a Hicks jumper and a Meeks layup.

Little by little, the Tar Heels worked their lead up to 12 points just before the half.  They went into the locker room leading 42-30.  UNC shot 47 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes.

Second chance opportunities devastated the Orange.  At half time, UNC had 13 offensive rebounds and turned them into 12 second chance makes.  The offensive boards helped the Heels gain a 24-12 halftime advantage with points in the paint.

“I think that is what the game plan was,” Kennedy Meeks said.  “Last year, I think we averaged 44 points in the paint against those guys, so we wanted to keep pounding the ball inside.”

Second Wind

The Tar Heels pushed their lead to 15 on the first basket of the second half on a Kenny Williams three-pointer. 

Syracuse responded in a big way.  Over the next 2:08, Syracuse went on a 12-0 run, silencing the happy fans in the Dean E. Smith Center.  It started with a three from Lydon, and also saw an Andrew White III triple, as well as baskets from Battle and Thompson.  Syracuse had shriveled a once daunting 15-point lead to 45-42 with 16:27 to go.

“We have pretty good offensive ability,” White said.  “It’s just a matter of transition defense and rebounding.  That’s what separates good teams from great teams.”

Back and Forth

Jackson and the Tar Heels answered with consecutive baskets.  The Orange battled UNC’s Maye and Meeks' inside looks with a pair of Lydon jumpers and a White three over the next 2:22, keeping the Tar Heel lead hovering around eight points.

Feeling Outnumbered

A Theo Pinson dunk put Carolina ahead 61-49 at the 11:41 mark.  The lead stayed in double digits for the bulk of the remainder.  Lydon and White really were the only force for UNC to reckon with the rest of the way, and White played with four personal fouls for a good portion of the second half.  At one point, the Dean Dome crowed collectively groaned after Lydon continually made shot after shot late in the game.

“I just appreciate coach having faith in me,” White said.  “Fouls or not, I always try to contribute, play my game, and fight till the end.”


Getting to 800

When the final buzzer sounded, North Carolina had earned its 17th win of the season, and fifth victory in the ACC.  The UNC staff and players put together a ceremony to honor Head Coach Roy Williams on his 800th victory.  He’ll look for win 801 on Saturday in Chestnut Hill against Boston College.  Tip for that game is at noon.

“Two hundred is more impressive than 100, so when you get to 800 not a lot of guys have done that,” Williams said.  “So I’m human. I’ve got some feelings about those kind of things, and that was nice, but I hope that I get a few more.”

Syracuse is still winless on the road, falling to 11-8, 3-3 in ACC play.  The Orange looks to regroup before another tough road test against Notre Dame in South Bend on Saturday at noon.

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