Major Tar Heel starters are going to miss the Syracuse game.
North Carolina’s two leading scorers, center Henri Veesaar and forward Caleb Wilson, are both out for today’s 1pm tipoff. Both players have missed two games so far with the injury: UNC first handedly beat Pittsburgh then suffered a blowout loss to North Carolina State.
The Orange now have a size advantage, leading to a now -2.5 spread. William Kyle and Donnie Freeman should post a strong game on the glass; in that same breath, defense should be less of an issue even against a talented blue-blue squad like North Carolina.
The Tar Heels have now played two games without Veesaar and Wilson, but they still walk into the dome undermanned. The UNC squad that is listed #16 in the nation presents a winnable matchup for SU in a gave it must have to keep hopes of an NCAA Tournament bubble alive.
So how does the ‘Cuse take advantage? Work the ball inside the paint, don’t settle for contested three pointers, and play tough defense on UNC’s fill-in starters from the jump.
Syracuse is presented with a great opportunity today, we will wait to see whether or not it takes advantage.
