As the Syracuse Orange continue their unlikely and unforgettable journey through the NCAA Tournament to the Final Four, they are now faced with the difficult task of taking on the No. 1-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels.North Carolina comes into the game as arguably the hottest team in the Final Four. The Tar Heels haven’t lost a game in over a month now and are winners of their last nine.
The Orange are the Cinderella of this year’s tournament — a team that many didn’t expect to even be in the tournament, much less in the Final Four. Syracuse came into the tournament as losers of five of their last six, a skid that included a tough 75-70 loss to then eighth-ranked North Carolina. From the start of this tournament, however, the Orange have looked like a completely different team. They were able to win their first two games with ease and hung around just long enough in the next two to steal the game away in the closing minutes.
The key to No. 10-seeded Syracuse’s improbable run has been its defense. The 2-3 zone has been a staple of this team seemingly since the creation of the sport itself, but North Carolina’s juggernaut of an offense will look to use their superior athleticism to find holes in Syracuse's defense.
This Tar Heel offense is by far the most explosive and well-rounded offense that Syracuse has had to face yet. It features a dominant, low-post presence in Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks. Double-double monster Brice Johnson and lethal shooting threat Marcus Paige are the primary scoring weapons for North Carolina.
Last time these two teams met, it was the Carolina big men that proved too much for the Orange, as the four players combined for 40 of the team's 75 points. For Syracuse to get a different result this time, they need to find a way to minimize UNC’s low post dominance while still containing Paige, who scored just six points on 1-7 shooting from beyond the arc.
On the offensive end, the Orange will look to slow down the tempo. Against Virginia, Syracuse sped up the game on a Cavaliers team that thrives on playing slow, causing uncharacteristic turnovers and misses that eventually brought them the victory. The game plan against North Carolina will be the exact opposite: One of control over chaos. Syracuse will look to run when the chance presents itself, especially on quick turnovers forced by the length and activity of the 2-3 zone, but the fate of the Orange rests on their players staying in control. The Syracuse guards — Trevor Cooney and Malachi Richardson — need to know when to pull the ball out in transition, all while making sure to take quality shots particularly early in the shot clock. North Carolina's potent offense will look to capitalize when Syracuse turns the ball over.
It’s an uphill battle for the Syracuse Orange as they look to make history as the highest-seeded team to ever make it to the title game, but it’s a battle that the Orange can win through patience, control and of course, their 2-3 zone. The Tar Heals remain the favorites and have a good chance of advancing if they can got shots to fall.