Syracuse Orange at North Carolina Tar Heels
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Caleb Wilson scores 22 points to lead No. 14 North Carolina past Syracuse, 87-77
Syracuse shaved the deficit to six with 42 seconds remaining before the Tar Heels finally closed it out from the free-throw line.
Henri Veesaar added 17 points and 11 boards for his Atlantic Coast Conference-leading 12th double-double. Jonathan Powell scored 12 points and Luka Bogavac had 10 for the Tar Heels (18-4, 6-3), who will carry a four-game winning streak into Saturday’s showdown with No. 4 Duke in Chapel Hill.
Wilson went 6 of 14 from the field and reached 20 points for the 16th time, most by a UNC freshman.
Donnie Freeman finished with 23 points and eight rebounds to lead Syracuse (13-10, 4-6), which lost for the fifth time in six games. Naithan George added 15 points.
The Tar Heels led 72-40 with 9:40 left before Syracuse made it respectable late with an 11-1 run.
Back-to-back 3s by Veesaar and Powell gave UNC its first-double digit lead at 23-12. Syracuse hit seven straight shots to get back within five, but the Tar Heels answered with a 12-0 spurt to open a 46-32 advantage at halftime.
Eighteen of Freeman’s points came in that first half, when the Orange shot 44% but committed nine turnovers.
North Carolina hosts No. 4 Duke on Saturday.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 77 - 87 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 77 - 87 |
| 2nd 0:13 | Caleb Wilson Defensive Rebound. | 77 - 87 |
| 2nd 0:16 | Kiyan Anthony misses 25-foot three point jumper | 77 - 87 |
| 2nd 0:18 | J.J. Starling Offensive Rebound. | 77 - 87 |
Statistics
 SYR |
 UNC |
|
|---|---|---|
| 29-65 | FG | 27-56 |
| 45 | Field Goal % | 48 |
| 6-18 | 3PT | 8-18 |
| 33 | Three Point % | 44 |
| 13-19 | FT | 25-35 |
| 68 | Free Throw % | 71 |
| 31 | Rebounds | 41 |
| 11 | Offensive Rebounds | 12 |
| 20 | Defensive Rebounds | 29 |
| 7 | Assists | 16 |
| 6 | Steals | 3 |
| 8 | Blocks | 1 |
| 10 | Turnovers | 11 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 10 | Total Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 12 | Points Off Turnovers | 9 |
| 8 | Fast Break Points | 10 |
| 38 | Points in Paint | 34 |
| 24 | Fouls | 19 |
| 2 | Largest Lead | 32 |
| 1 | Lead Change | 1 |
| 1 | Percent Led | 95 |
Game Information
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Attendance: 20,152 | Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 10-1 | - | 21-2 |
| Clemson | 10-1 | - | 20-4 |
| Virginia | 9-2 | 1 | 20-3 |
| NC State | 9-3 | 1.5 | 18-7 |
| North Carolina | 7-3 | 2.5 | 19-4 |
| Miami | 7-3 | 2.5 | 18-5 |
| Louisville | 8-4 | 2.5 | 18-6 |
| SMU | 5-5 | 4.5 | 16-7 |
| California | 5-6 | 5 | 17-7 |
| Virginia Tech | 5-6 | 5 | 16-8 |
| Florida State | 4-6 | 5.5 | 11-12 |
| Stanford | 4-7 | 6 | 15-9 |
| Syracuse | 4-7 | 6 | 13-11 |
| Wake Forest | 2-8 | 7.5 | 11-12 |
| Boston College | 2-8 | 7.5 | 9-14 |
| Georgia Tech | 2-9 | 8 | 11-13 |
| Notre Dame | 2-9 | 8 | 11-13 |
| Pittsburgh | 2-9 | 8 | 9-15 |