Hey ACC, tell me without using words that you’re mailing it in at this point.
ACC schedules a home and home between UNC and Syracuse but not UNC and NC State.
Anyway… UNC went to Syracuse to reprise their meeting 19 days ago, a game that saw UNC lead by 32 before fumbling, bumbling, stumbling to a six-point margin with 42 seconds to go. The 32-point lead came with Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar on the floor; Syracuse’s comeback happened largely with those two on the bench. With Caleb still out due
to his hand injury and Henri a game time decision after not practicing all week, Tar Heel fans came into this tilt with apprehension. Added to the mix: Syracuse was 12-4 at home, a much different team in the Carrier Dome than on the road.
The outlook improved considerably when UNC announced Veesaar as a go immediately prior to the game. While it wasn’t always pretty, UNC earned a borderline Quad 1 win on the road (yes, you read that correctly). What three things do we take away from this ACC road win without Caleb Wilson?
Seth Trimble shows up, Tar Heels pull away
At the 14:00 mark in the second half, Trimble had two fouls, zero points on one attempt, no assists and no rebounds. UNC led 40-38. Trimble finished with 13 points on 5-6 shooting with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. The Heels won by 13.
After two rough outings against Miami and NC State, Trimble opened against Syracuse seemingly hesitant on the offensive end and overly aggressive on defense. He earned two early fouls and sat out 10 minutes of the first half. Short-handed, UNC can afford neither an invisible Seth nor an inefficient one. In the second half, Trimble made his presence felt emphatically, getting into the lane on offense and grabbing five defensive rebounds. That spark helped spur the Tar Heels to a consistent multi-possession lead just when the Orange and their crowd were starting to get into it.
With freshmen Derek Dixon running point, an impactful and efficient Seth becomes mandatory for UNC to play to its potential, short-handed or not. Trimble’s athleticism and example, when it’s on, takes UNC to another level, and his presence down the stretch against Syracuse turned a tight game into a comfortable win.
The Zayden High Experience rolls on
NC State remains the only team in recorded history to surrender a double-double to Zayden High, but Syracuse came close. High ended the afternoon with nine points and 11 rebounds in 19 minutes. Those stats came with High playing most of the game with a taped right hand after flying out of bounds to try to save a possession.
High’s impact comes mostly from effort and energy. He saved at least three possessions with hustle and tap-outs when the game was back-and-forth. He finished the game +17, a game high for the Tar Heels and a career high for Zayden. After realizing he wasn’t going to win any one-on-ones with post moves against Syracuse’s Freeman, Zayden drew trips to the free throw line with aggressive cuts to the basket. He even drained a wide open corner three, looking smooth and confident with his stroke.
They say you go to war with the soldier you have, not the one you wish you had. High’s struggles have been thoroughly dissected this season, and no, those liabilities have not been erased. However, High’s minutes against Pitt, NC State, and Syracuse cumulatively look like this: 81 minutes, 37 points, 28 rebounds, 7 turnovers, and 14 fouls. Once the front court returns to full strength with Wilson, High’s presence in a game, when necessary, now at worst seems likely to provide productive energy and some solid contributions to go along with the cover-your-eyes moments. That’s a positive trend both for Zayden and UNC’s post-season possibilities.
Free throws were beyond ugly
Both in percentage and form. At one point deep into the second half, UNC was 5-14 from the line. The Heels righted the ship a bit with a 10-14 effort at the end to finish 15-28. Still, some UNC players perhaps could use some refresher courses on free throw form. Trimble pulled the string on his two attempts after the technical, both almost airballs. Stevenson and Bogavac shot some attempts with all arm, no legs, with predictably flat trajectories and results. While UNC won by 13, those nine early misses, and 13 overall, made the game much closer than it needed to be for much longer than it needed to be.
What did you take away from the Syracuse game? Let us know in the comments below.
