Syracuse falls 77-64 to No. 16 North Carolina, drops 8th Quad 1 game
Syracuse fell 77-64 to No. 16 North Carolina on Saturday, even though the Tar Heels were without star freshman Caleb Wilson. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
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In front of the largest single-game attendance in the country this season, Syracuse didn’t give much of a reason for the fans in the JMA Wireless Dome to cheer. Instead, with just over two minutes remaining, they started heading for the exits.
Syracuse (15-13, 6-9 Atlantic Coast) fell 77-64 to No. 16 North Carolina (21-6, 9-5 ACC) Saturday. The loss moves the Orange to 1-8 in Quad 1 games this year, making their already virtually nonexistent NCAA Tournament hopes even more distant. As losses continue to pile up and SU becomes increasingly more likely to miss its fifth straight March Madness, questions regarding Autry’s job status in a potential make-or-break year become even louder.
Caleb Wilson, a projected top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, missed his third straight game with a fractured left hand for the Tar Heels. However, star center Henri Veesaar returned from a two-game absence, registering a team-high 19 points and three blocks.
Meanwhile, SU star forward Donnie Freeman was held to just nine points and was ejected with 1:44 remaining after picking up his second technical foul. With Freeman struggling, J.J. Starling percolated for 22 points, notching his fourth game with 20 or more points after registering 10 across the 2024-25 season.
On an afternoon where the Orange shot 3-of-17 from beyond the arc, Tyler Betsey made their first second-half 3-pointer with 3:10 remaining. The triple cut Syracuse’s deficit to 67-57, but UNC scored the next eight points to take an 18-point lead with less than two minutes to go.
The run buried SU, which, for most of the game, looked like it would hang around until the final buzzer.
SU was in command for most of the first 10 minutes, but UNC took its first lead, 17-14, after Jonathan Powell drained a 3-pointer at the 10:35 mark. The Tar Heels, who never relinquished the advantage, then extended their lead to four points roughly three minutes later, forcing Autry to call a timeout after Veesaar drained a 3-pointer for his ninth point.
While North Carolina built its lead up to a then-game-high 32-24 by the 2:36 mark, the Orange — behind a Betsey 3-pointer, their first of the afternoon after an 0-for-7 start — trailed 33-28 at halftime.
Behind Starling scoring six of his 22 points to begin the second half and Naithan George converting two free throws, the Orange tied the game 36-36 at the 17:36 mark. However, Syracuse couldn’t take its first lead since the 14-12 advantage after Veesaar and Luka Bogavac, who scored 13 points, converted back-to-back scores to give UNC a 40-36 lead.
Despite North Carolina halting the Orange’s comeback temporarily, a William Kyle III steal and a fast break dunk tied the score 44-44 at the 12:07 mark. Once again, though, Syracuse failed to take the lead.
Highlighted by Seth Trimble picking Starling’s pocket before scoring in transition and Veesaar throwing down an emphatic dunk, the Tar Heels embarked on an 8-0 run to take a 52-44 lead. While UNC’s advantage could’ve reached double digits, Trimble missed both free throws after Freeman was assessed a technical foul.
Even so, a Trimble and-1 a minute later at the 8:06 mark extended North Carolina’s lead to a game-high 56-46. Four consecutive points from Freeman helped SU cut its deficit down to eight with 4:43 remaining, but Bogavac and Veesaar scored the next four to give the Tar Heels a 65-53 lead at the 3:42 mark.
From there, it was clear which program will play meaningful games in March and which won’t. As some fans remained, quiet boos and “fire Autry” chants could be heard from the student section.
