Syracuse men’s basketball predictions vs North Carolina

The Syracuse Orange (13-9, 4-5) are on the road tonight to face the #19 North Carolina Tar Heels (17-5, 5-3). It’s a game that could not only get the Orange back to .500 in ACC play, but also bring some interest back to the rest of the regular season.The game tips at 7:00 on ESPN with Dave O’Brien, Jay Williams and Molly McGrath on the call.

Here’s what we’re predicting tonight:

Kevin:UNC 83, Syracuse 74

I don’t think the Orange have an answer for Caleb Wilson and the attention he commands will open up shots for his teammates. Syracuse should be able to score, but can they avoid falling in love with the 3 and instead move the ball and get good shots? This should be an up and down game, but in the end Syracuse doesn’t have enough firepower to get the road win. 

Dom: North Carolina 85, Syracuse 71

The one way this prediction could look totally wrong is if Syracuse’s guards play the way they did against Notre Dame. The big challenge is that hasn’t always been the case, and Syracuse needs its best performance to match UNC. The Tar Heels and Orange surprisingly similar in PPG and opponent points allowed per game, but the difference is North Carolina turns the ball over less and rebounds the ball quite well. It’s a close game until a second-half run blows this out of the water.

Szuba: North Carolina 84, Syracuse 70

North Carolina is strong inside and as much as Sadiq White would relish the Wilson assignment, White has been foul prone. It’d be asking a lot of Donnie Freeman to defend Wilson for long stretches and carry the offense. The Orange will need backcourt play similar to last game, and Nate Kingz might be able to shake loose for outside looks, but the Tar Heel defense is much better than Notre Dame’s. Carolina should own the paint and the glass in this one as Syracuse drops its fifth game in the last six outings.

Max:North Carolina 83, Syracuse 73

It’s hard to envision SU pulling off the road upset, but it does have the offensive potential to hang around for most of the game. I can see the Orange ripping off a few short runs with hot shooting from three, but at the end of the day, consensus top-5 pick Caleb Wilson and the Tar Heels in front of a home crowd will just be too much. UNC takes care of the ball extremely well and will capitalize on every little miscue, leading to a double-digit win.

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What’s your prediction for tonight’s game?