Created by Sharon Thorsland
It’s a quick turnaround for North Carolina, who is back at home Monday night for a matchup with Syracuse. The Tar Heels (17-4, 5-3 ACC) are coming off a win over Georgia Tech on Saturday, their third straight conference win. Syracuse snapped a four-game skid with a win over Notre Dame that improved them to 13-9 on the year and 4-5 in conference play, but calls for coach Red Autry to be fired continue. Tip-off is set for 7:00 on WBT.
Lack of consistency on both ends of the floor has been an issue for this Syracuse squad. They upset Tennessee and had narrow losses to Houston and Clemson early in the season, but have lost a head scratcher to Hofstra and got blown out by NC State. That’s led to a disgruntled fanbase and a lot of distraction surrounding the program. But this is a team that still has plenty of talent, starting with sophomore forward Donnie Freeman. He leads the team in scoring with 18.2 points a game. He teams with senior Nate Kingz and center William Kyle; they combine for nearly 20 points and 11 rebounds a contest. The backcourt is anchored by senior guard J.J. Starling, who seems like he’s been wearing the orange forever. Points guard Naithan George averages over 11 points a game, and keep an eye out for…