W — hatever happens Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome can’t get much worse than Syracuse’s display Monday night against Duke. The Orange were in a tight contest for much of the first half, but the No. 3 Blue Devils outclassed them in every facet from there. SU suffered a101-64 loss, its largest Atlantic Coast Conference defeat since joining the league in 2013.
Four regular-season games remain for Adrian Autry’s Orange — who sit 70th in the NCAA NET Rankings — in need of a generational run to make March Madness. Though that possibility is highly unlikely, Syracuse can gain some ground this weekend against North Carolina. The Tar Heels, helmed by fifth-year head coach Hubert Davis, beat the Orange 87-77 on Feb. 2. However, UNC’s star freshman forward Caleb Wilson might not play Saturday due to injury.
Here’s how our beat writers predict Syracuse (15-12, 6-8 ACC) will fare against No. 16 North Carolina (20-6, 8-5 ACC) in their second head-to-head matchup of the season:…