North Carolina
Syracuse’s late rally turns North Carolina blowout into a run-of-the-mill loss
Syracuse, N.Y. ― North Carolina was blowing out Syracuse.
For the first 30 minutes of Monday night’s game at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., the North Carolina Tar Heels tore through the Syracuse Orange, making 3-pointers, ramming home dunks and simply dominating in all phases of the game.
The Tar Heels built a 72-40 lead. North Carolina coach Hubert Davis had taken future NBA lottery pick Caleb Wilson out of the game for the night.
Then came an unexpected and confounding comeback. Syracuse went on a 35-to-10 run, cutting North Carolina’s lead down to six points.
Syracuse’s rally came up short as the Tar Heels held on for an 87-77 win over the Orange.
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Syracuse Orange Basketball 2025-26: Syracuse @ North Carolina
While Syracuse showed some grit with its late-game effort, North Carolina had too much firepower for the Orange.
UNC’s frontcourt duo of freshman Caleb Wilson (22 points and nine rebounds) and 7-foot center Henri Veesaar (17 points and 11 boards) were nearly unstoppable. Together they combined to shoot 13-for-25 from the field. Wilson drew numerous fouls and went 10-for-13 at the free throw line.
The loss dropped Syracuse’s record to 13-10 on the season and 4-6 in the ACC.
Syracuse remained winless against the Tar Heels at the Smith Center, losing all eight of its trips to Chapel Hill since joining the ACC.
North Carolina, which came into the game ranked 14th in the country, improved to 18-4 overall and 6-3 in the conference. North Carolina is undefeated at home this season with a Saturday date with arch-rival Duke looming.
Donnie Freeman returned to Syracuse’s starting lineup after coming off the bench in Saturday’s win over Notre Dame. Freeman led the Orange with 23 points and eight rebounds.
But no other Syracuse player was able to do much offensively until the furious comeback effort in the final 10 minutes. The Orange made 11 out of 12 shots during the rally.
In that time, Naithan George finished with 15 points, JJ Starling added 13 and Nate Kingz hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes.
Prior to the run, Syracuse players other than Freeman were a combined 10-for-36 from the field.
Syracuse, which had a season-high 21 assists in the win over Notre Dame on Saturday, assisted on just seven of its 29 made field goals against the Tar Heels.
A valiant effort from a Syracuse team or a case of North Carolina taking its Heel off the gas? Either way, the Orange has now lost five of its last six games.
And next up is a trip to No. 18 Virginia on Saturday.
North Carolina’s lead went up and down in the first half, before the more dramatic crests and plummets in the second half.
North Carolina opened up a 46-32 halftime lead thanks to a late 12-0 run.
Syracuse had trailed by 13 points midway through the half but pulled to within five points at 34-29 with 3 minutes left.
Freeman provided most of the offense with 18 first-half points. The Tar Heels would hold him in check for most of the second half.
But after all that work from the Orange to narrow the gap, North Carolina erupted for 12 straight points for a 46-29 lead.
Freeman saved things, in a small way, as he banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to get the Orange to within 46-32.
North Carolina clogged up Syracuse’s offense. Syracuse was reduced to a lot of one-on-one moves and contested shots. After doling out 21 assists in Saturday’s win over Notre Dame, the Orange had two assists in the first half.
Freeman went 6-for-9 from the field in the half, but the rest of the Orange made only five out of 14 field goal attempts.
The North Carolina Tar Heels will be a young program across the board next season, with well over two dozen freshmen and numerous additions from the transfer portal this offseason. Expectations for the 2026 season are lowered dramatically after a disastrous first season for head coach Bill Belichick, though those expectations could help the Tar Heels fly under the radar.
As the Tar Heels approach the end of spring ball, it is time to look at the veterans of the team—the ones who have the experience to lead, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Let’s look at three underrated seniors for the 2026 football season.
Ade Willie, Cornerback
Willie joins the Tar Heels program after four years with Michigan State, as the former 4-star player in the 2022 recruiting class gets an opportunity to not only provide depth to the secondary, but potentially start Week 0 against TCU.
Willie played in over 30 games with the Spartans and brings experience in the secondary at cornerback and safety, along with quality length and closing speed to the football. For a defense that needs players to step up, the redshirt senior from IMG Academy will be asked to do so.
Isaiah Johnson, Defensive Lineman
The defensive line is beginning to look like one of the Tar Heels’ strengths for the 2026 season. Johnson, a former transfer from Arizona, enters his redshirt senior year looking to add another year of production after 40 tackles and two sacks this past season.
North Carolina has an impressive group of starters with Malkart Abou-Jaoude, Leroy Jackson, and incoming transfer Jaylen Harvey. Johnson adds value to the group as a run defender with the ability to penetrate the pocket. While not discussed as a key player, Johnson’s name will be used plenty during the regular season as a potential standout for the program’s defensive front.
Coleman Bryson, Safety
Bryson was a reserve player for the Tar Heels’ secondary last season as a big nickel defender in the rotation. Heading into his redshirt senior year, the former Minnesota Gopher is looking to become a full-time starter in the secondary.
It wasn’t long ago when Bryson was making plays as the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl Defensive MVP. His special teams abilities were valuable for North Carolina last season, and he flashed at times in coverage against tight ends, including a pass breakup in the season-opener against TCU. The Waynesville, North Carolina, native could be a key defender on the back-seven in 2026.
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Friends and family members gathered in Washington state on Saturday, remembering former Miss North Carolina Carrie Everett, who died on Easter Sunday. Another memorial service is planned in North Carolina next month.
Web Editor : Sydney Ross
Posted
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | First Quarter
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | Q1 8:19
After a faceoff win by Henry Metz, Brendan Millon finds Truitt Sunderland to give the Hoos a 3-0 lead. Timeout North Carolina.
Virginia 2, North Carolina 0 | Q1 9:00
Brendan Millon gets the scoring started for the Cavaliers with a question mark style goal. On the defensive end, Jake Marek opens the game with three early saves with his third save setting up a transition goal by Tommy Snyder.
Virginia vs North Carolina pregame notes
UVA owns a 59-33 advantage since the series began in 1938.
The 59 wins are UVA’s most against any opponent in program history (followed by 51 against Duke).
In Chapel Hill last year, the Tar Heels defeated the Cavaliers 18-9, snapping UVA’s six-game series win streak.
UVA has won nine of the last 11 meetings, dating back to 2018.
The Hoos have won the last two meetings with Carolina at Klöckner Stadium, 11-4 in 2022 and 14-6 in 2024.
The Tar Heels’ four goals in 2022 marked the fewest goals in a game under Joe Breschi, who was named UNC’s head coach in 2006.
The last time the Tar Heels knocked off the Cavaliers at Klöckner was a 16-13 decision during the first of three games between the two teams in 2021.
Later that year, UVA claimed back-to-back meetings against the Heels, including in the NCAA semifinals on the way to capturing the 2021 national title over Maryland.
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