UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Cruise Past Syracuse
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
North Carolina guard Christian Keeling, right, is defended by Syracuse forward Quincy Guerrier during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Syracuse, N.Y., Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. North Carolina defeated Syracuse 92-79. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
The Tar Heels basketball team played their best offensive game of the season on the road against Syracuse Saturday afternoon. North Carolina hit 11 threes for the game and shot 52% overall for the game. The Heels also did a great job with ball movement and player movement against Syracuse’s 2-3 zone.
They had 25 assists on 33 made field goals. UNC led by as much as 16 in both halves and got great offensive contributions from Cole Anthony, Garrison Brooks, and Christian Keeling, who each had 25 points, 26 points, and 18 points, respectively.
UNC Game Stats
1 2 T
North Carolina 40 52 92
Syracuse 35 44 79
North Carolina
FG 3PT FT REB AST TO PTS
G. Brooks 9-13 0-0 8-8 14 4 4 26
A. Bacot 1-2 0-0 1-2 4 0 0 3
C. Anthony 8-13 7-11 2-3 2 7 2 25
L. Black 4-9 0-3 0-0 5 6 4 8
B. Robinson 2-8 2-6 0-0 5 3 0 6
C. Keeling 7-11 2-4 2-2 3 3 0 18
J. Pierce 2-7 0-2 0-0 3 2 0 4
A. Platek 0-0 0-0 2-2 1 0 0 2
TEAM 33-63 11-26 15-17 38 25 10 92
52.4% 42.3% 88.2%
Syracuse
FG 3PT FT REB AST TO PTS
M. Dolezaj 3-4 0-0 0-0 3 3 2 6
B. Sidibe 5-6 0-0 7-8 14 0 0 17
E. Hughes 4-15 1-6 7-7 3 2 3 16
B. Boeheim 9-17 2-7 2-2 1 3 1 22
J. Girard III 4-12 3-9 1-2 1 3 3 12
Q. Guerrier 3-4 0-0 0-0 3 2 0 6
B. Paul 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0
B. Goodine 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0
TEAM 28-61 6-24 17-19 28 14 9 79
45.9% 25.0% 89.5%
UNC Bright Spots
Garrison Brooks had 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Cole Anthony had 25 points, 7 assists, and 2 rebounds.
Christian Keeling had 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels need to work on their help defense and on-ball defense. Too many times guys are letting their man go by them and they are rotating too late allowing an easy layup or open three.
Final Observations
The Tar Heels are on a two-game winning streak. UNC is hitting its shots now and it seems to be giving them more confidence on the court. Christian Keeling has been playing great off the bench in the last few games. When he is hitting shots as he has been lately, it takes the pressure off Cole Anthony and Garrison Brooks to score all the points.
North Carolina finally looks like they have found their identity and are comfortable in the roles. Especially since the players that are available are finally healthy. This bodes well for the team moving forward as they look to win the ACC tournament to make the NCAA tournament.