North Carolina at Syracuse 3/1/21 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

The North Carolina Tarheels travel on the road to the Carrier Dome to take on the Syracuse Orange. North Carolina bounced back from a disappointing loss to Marquette by pulling off the upset of #10 Florida State winning 78-70 and improving to 15-8 (9-5 conference). Syracuse has dropped two straight games falling on the road to Duke and then Georiga Tech falling 84-77 and dropping to 13-8 (7-7 conference).

Syracuse has been one of the best scoring offenses in the ACC this season averaging 76.3 points per game ranking 69th in the country in scoring offense. The Orange come in shooting 44% from the field and 33.1% from beyond the arc, ranking 185th and 213th nationally. Syracuse is 28th in KenPom adjusted offense.

Junior guard Alan Griffin leads the Orange in scoring with 15.5 points per game and is putting up a solid 45/37/88.2 shooting line. Griffin is second on the team in rebounding with 6.6 rebounds per game. Buddy Boeheim, the coach's son, is second on the team in scoring with 15.3 points and dishing out 2.9 assists per game. It’s a very balanced scoring attack with five players averaging double-figures for the Orange.

North Carolina is a solid offense in their own right and loves to push the tempo coming in 45th in adjusted tempo and 26th in average offensive possession length. The Tarheels are 185th in field-goal shooting at 44% from the field but have struggled from three shooting just 30.9% from beyond the arc, 293rd in three-point percentage.

Three of the top four leading scorers for North Carolina are over 6-10 and the Tarheels are going to work it inside against the 2-3 zone of Syracuse. Leading the way is sophomore forward Armando Bacot leads the team with 11.2 points and is second in rebounding with 7.4. Senior Garrison Brooks continues to be a force in his last averaging 10.4 points and 7 rebounds.

The length of North Carolina has helped their defense a lot, although they’re giving up 69.3 points per game ranking 152nd in the nation in scoring defense they’re holding teams to 42.4% from the field, 137th in the nation. The Tarheel's block over 4 shots per game, 52nd in the nation and are 22nd in KenPom adjusted defense.

Syracuse and their 2-3 zone have really struggled, allowing 71.6 points per game ranking 224th in the country in scoring defense. Opponents are shooting 42.1% from the field and 31.8% from beyond the arc, ranking 119th and 77th nationally. The Orange are 99th in KnePom adjusted defense.