Dean E. Smith Center – Chapel Hill, NC
Tip-off: Monday, 7:00 pm ET
Line: North Carolina -13.5

Syracuse will be looking for a statement victory when the team faces North Carolina on Monday night.

Syracuse has been lousy to start the year, but the team appears to have found its footing as of late. The Orange have won-and-covered in three of their past four games, and they have beaten solid teams like Miami and Pittsburgh in that span. Syracuse looked like a surefire tournament team before the season, and it’s possible that the Orange just needed to build some chemistry. Still, they have dug themselves quite the hole and will need to start winning some big games soon. A victory on Monday would go a long way in determining their fate for the postseason. North Carolina, meanwhile, has now won four straight games coming into this one. The most recent victory was the most impressive, as the Tar Heels beat the Seminoles 96-83 as 8.5-point favorites in Chapel Hill. They now get to face an Orange team that they are 4-0 SU and 2-1-1 ATS against over the past three seasons. One thing that does favor Syracuse in this game is the fact that the team is 8-1 ATS versus good three-point shooting teams (37% or better after 15 games) over the past two seasons. North Carolina, however, is 26-12 ATS after a combined score of 165 points or more in two straight games under Roy Williams.

The Orange are playing a lot better recently and G Tyus Battle (9.7 PPG, 1.2 SPG) has stepped his game up for Syracuse. Over the past three games, Battle is averaging 16.3 PPG and he has hit 9-of-17 from the three-point line. Syracuse badly needed somebody to step it up and give F Tyler Lydon (13.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 1.0 SPG) some help. Perhaps Battle can be that guy moving forward, as he has all the talent and just needs to be more consistent. Lydon, meanwhile, struggles with inconsistency himself. He has scored double digits in each of the Orange’s three victories in the past four games, but he had just three points in the loss to Virginia Tech. If Syracuse is going to win this game then Lydon will likely need to score at least 20 points. There is no reason he should not be able to do that, as he has a complete arsenal. Lydon is shooting 47.6% from the floor and 42.2% from three this season. He is, however, hesitant to shoot the ball, as evidenced by his 9.2 attempts per game. Syracuse needs him to be more aggressive on Monday. One guy that is consistent for this Syracuse team is G Andrew White III (15.8 PPG). A transfer from Nebraska, White has scored at least 15 points in 10 games this season. He’ll likely need to reach that number on Monday, but he should be able to do that. He is a good shooter from the outside, but also knows how to mix it up and get to the basket.

The Tar Heels are coming off of a big victory, but they need to get up for this home game against Syracuse on Monday. One guy that will be counted on to play well is F Justin Jackson (17.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG). Jackson has been magnificent this season, and he is shooting a career high 40.5% from three on the year. That has really opened up his game, and he can be expected to knock a few down on Monday. Jackson was excellent against Florida State last game, scoring 22 points in 29 minutes of action. Things should be a bit easier in this game, as he’ll get some open looks from three against the Syracuse zone. G Joel Berry II (16.2 PPG, 4.4 APG, 1.5 SPG) will be ecstatic to face this zone. Berry II is shooting 42.7% from three on the season, and he knows that he’ll be able to beat it at some point. Shots will be there from all over the floor and it’ll just be up to him to bury them. On the inside, both F Isaiah Hicks (12.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG) and Kennedy Meeks (12.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.1 SPG) will need to be on their games against the Orange. Syracuse’s zone leaves the team vulnerable to offensive rebounds, and both Hicks and Meeks are capable of giving their team second chance opportunities.