A promising ACC clash is in store for you viewing and betting pleasure this Saturday night, as the sixth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels travel to New York for a showdown with the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. The Tar Heels have won their last seven matches heading into this encounter while the Orange continues to search for its first triumph in conference play. Who will get the better of the other in this battle?
Let’s now take a much closer look at this matchup below. And if you’re yearning for some NBA action as well, you can check out our detailed preview of the Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers.
[sc:MarchMadness ]North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Syracuse Orange Preview
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
When: Saturday, January 9, 2016, 8:00 PM ET
Line: North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Syracuse Orange – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels (14-2, 3-0 ACC)
[sc:NCAAB240banner ] After suffering their second loss of the season at the hands of the Texas Longhorns almost a month ago, the North Carolina Tar Heels have been unbeaten since then. They march into this matchup with the Syracuse Orange carrying a seven-game winning streak. During that stretch, the Tar Heels have beaten each of their opponents by double-digits and are posting 92.4 points per game as a team.
A testament to their current success is none other than the dynamic duo of Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige, who lead the team in scoring with 16.8 PPG and 16.3 PPG respectively. Johnson, in particular, has been the most imposing force for the Tar Heels. He’s fresh off his best game of his college career against FSU, wherein the 21-year-old forward finished with ridiculous numbers of 39 points, 23 rebounds, three steals and three blocks while shooting 14-of-16 from the field.
Furthermore, Paige’s efforts were also worth taking into account as he added a season-high of 30 points with five rebounds and five assists in the same game. He also went 5-for-9 from three-point territory.
Needless to say, Johnson and Paige are going to be the Tar Heels’ main keys to victory in this one. But those two are going to be marked all game long by a respectable Syracuse defense which allows just 65.2 points per game.
Fortunately though, the Tar Heels still have other weapons to lean on for offense. There’s the very capable pair of Justin Jackson (12.8 PPG) and Joel Berry II (12.5 PPG) to provide some trouble to the Orange. On the season, both are averaging double-figures in points.
Over on defense, the Tar Heels ought to make life tough for Michael Gbinije, who is Syracuse’s top-scorer with 18.0 PPG. UNC is giving up 71.8 points per game and is tallying 13.3 opponent turnovers this year.
UNC is 5-5 SU and 6-4 ATS in its previous 10 road games.
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Betting on the Syracuse Orange (10-6, 0-3 ACC)
The Syracuse Orange kicked off the season with six-straight wins, but since then they’ve lost six of their past 10 games and are currently on a three-game slide. Those three losses were all against ACC teams—Pittsburgh, No. 12 Miami and Clemson—which puts them dead-last in the conference standings at 0-3.
Now, the Orange will try to finally notch their first conference win when the sixth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels pay them a visit at the Carrier Dome. For them to pull off the improbable upset, the onus is on their best player and leading scorer in Michael Gbinije to have a big game.
That’s definitely easier said than done, but Gbinije certainly has the talent and experience to carry his team. The senior forward is averaging almost 20 points per game and has impressively scored at least 10 or more points across 16 games.
Besides Gbinije, there’s still Trevor Cooney and Malachi Richardson who the Orange can rely upon for some much-needed points. The two are averaging 13.0 PPG and 7.4 rebounds combined thus far this season.
Meanwhile, Syracuse’s outside shooting could ultimately be the difference-maker in this one. They are nailing almost nine threes per game and will be matching up against a Tar Heels defense that’s yielding 8.8 three-pointers and a 42% opponents’ field goal rate.
Syracuse is 4-6 SU and ATS in its last 10 games as the underdog.
Writer’s Prediction
UNC wins, 79-66.
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