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Contest #1
(one more game for the win)

Contest #1 Prizes
1st Place - 1-Year Subscription to Premium, plus miscellaneous prize
2nd Place - 6-Month Subscription to Premium, plus miscellaneous prize
3rd Place - 3-Month Subscription to Premium
4th Place-- 3-Month Subscription to Premium

Tasty Exchange


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Contest #1
(one more game for the win)

Contest #1 Prizes
1st Place - 1-Year Subscription to Premium, plus miscellaneous prize
2nd Place - 6-Month Subscription to Premium, plus miscellaneous prize
3rd Place - 3-Month Subscription to Premium
4th Place-- 3-Month Subscription to Premium

Where do you think they SHOULD be ranked and where do you think they WILL be ranked?

...and ALWAYS be watching.

Y'all saw the epitome of my opening statement in the 1st half, when Cadeau dropped (what should've been) a highlight dime to JWash off a tight roll, but alas, the big fella had turned his back and arrgh!... oh, well... the good news was, well, pretty much everything else

- this was a potential "trap" game, and the best antidote for those is EFFORT and INTENSITY. It took a couple of minutes (and some reminders from the bench), but once it kicked in, well, Cuse got nothing easy on offense.

- a lot of solid 21.5 (that has become the norm in ACC play) mixed with 24, and threw a possession of 44 that produced a TO and before long Cuse was a frustrated team

- REALLY nice bench contibutions from early on: Withers impacted immediately (especially on the boards) and finished with 10 and 6, Seth was a dog on D, and our man JWash more than held the fort when Mando picked up a second foul. Couple of caveats here moving forward: Seth --- stop with so much of the air-hanging and throw it down, son... and Withers --- don't drive thru traffic from 15 ft.

- RJ with another RJ game and threw in some sneaky interceptions and Cormac was solid across the board on an off shooting night.

- Gotta say, I felt Autry's pain --- they couldn't guard us in Man so they went to the ol' Cuse Zone, and welp... we all know how that goes vs Dean's magic Zone Offense... especially when an elite PG is triggering. Hell, with some crisper interior passing it would've been even uglier for 'em

- Board work, baby! Outrebounded them by 23 and got 19 offensive!... with Ingram jumping in again to join Mando with double-doubles.

- make no mistake, we essentially won this one in the first half, specifically beginning at the 11:35 mark. EC had been subbed out at 14:36 just as we were hitting an early rhythm (please stop that), and we proceeded to bog down with only 4 points in the ensuing 3 minutes. But then EC re-enters at 11:35 igniting a 17-pt eruption in the next 4-and-a-half minutes, culminating with a 26-13 thrashing over the 7:48 until he subbed back out at 3:47 in the half with a 22-pt lead --- game essentially over.

- Finally, here's the point I'm making (pun fully intended): This was a sweet TEAM effort and Eliot didn't put up big numbers, BUT (as my coach buds and I always talk about) he makes everything EASIER for everyone, which is what a great PG does --- the floor is spaced, the ball moves and the passing becomes contagious, and Lordy, the TRANSITION game comes alive. Before Cuse tried to slow tempo, we had 27 transition pts in the first half alone (!), ALL of them with EC at the helm.

Anyway, again, this was set up to be a classic trap game and snapped that bad boy back onto the guys in orange, and we did that by playing defense and (a good bit of) Carolina basketball... and guys, we're still just scraping at the ceiling in that regard. Biscuits...

Hubert was asked after the win over Syracuse to put into words how well his team is playing. Here is what Davis said:

“I love it, it is a joy for me. My job is to coach, to serve, to help, to assist. That's my job every day is just to individually, and as a team, make them the best that they can possibly be. So, for me having a front-row seat to be able to see that growth not just on the court, but off the court and in the classroom, is something that I find great joy in and very enjoyable to be around.

“And so, I like when the guys are having fun and they're having smiles on their faces, because they're enjoying something that they love. You're doing it at a place that they love and they're doing it with teammates that they love. You check those three boxes, you're gonna have joy and that's what our team has.”

It was originally scheduled for 1PM, but was moved to noon last month. Tickets also say it starts at 1, but it's at noon and will air on ESPN. Make sure your UNC friends know.

One of my favorite computed stats is the Assists per Field Goal Made stat. It shows clearly how much play is coming from team ball, in comparison to single player moves. The 29-year A/FG Average is 0.591 (std dev is 0.034). This team is getting 0.501, the 2nd-worst figure in the 29-year period, and it is a dark, dark, cloud looming on this team's horizon. If this team doesn't improve what goes into this stat, especially given its below average defensive prowess, this team will not make the NCAA tournament. There! I said it. Last season's average was an abysmal 0.453, reflecting just how much we need someone other than RJ Davis playing PG. I didn't expect Cadeau to come in and be an improvement from Day 1, but now is the time to start seeing some real development in this position.

Here are the A/FGM averages from each of the last 29 years:
1996: 0.605 - NCAA Final 32
1997: 0.607 - Final 4/ACC Champ
1998: 0.618 - Final 4/ACC Champ
1999: 0.623 - NCAA 1st Round
2000: 0.601 - Final 4
2001: 0.610 - NCAA Final 32
2002: 0.673 - ACC 7th Place
2003: 0.616 - NIT Final 8
2004: 0.613 - NCAA Final 32
2005: 0.624 - National Champion
2006: 0.633 - NCAA Final 32
2007: 0.590 - NCAA Final 8/ACC Champ
2008: 0.520 - Final 4/ACC Champ
2009: 0.568 - National Champion
2010: 0.569 - NIT Runner-Up
2011: 0.546 - NCAA Final 8/ACC RegSeason Champ
2012: 0.581 - NCAA Final 8/ACC RegSeason Champ
2013: 0.601 - NCAA Final 32
2014: 0.549 - NCAA Final 32
2015: 0.592 - NCAA Final 16
2016: 0.574 - NCAA Runner-up
2017: 0.589 - National Champion
2018: 0.612 - NCAA Final 32
2019: 0.605 - NCAA Final 16
2020: 0.546 - ACC 14th Place
2021: 0.553 - NCAA Final 64
2022: 0.541 - NCAA Runner-up
2023: 0.453 - Declined NIT
2024: 0.501 - <=== THIS IS TOO LOW!!!

Average = 0.591 (std dev = 0.034)

Finally home after three games on the road. Syracuse under a new coach comes in 11-4 so Carolina cannot take them liightly. Mintz is a tremendous player averaging like 18 points a game but unless CAROLINA has a complete letdown the Tar Heels should kept the winning streak going

CAROLINA 103, SYRACUSE 67
JANUARY 13, 2024
ROY WILLIAMS COURT AT THE DEAN E. SMITH CENTER
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

UNC Scoring Leader: RJ Davis 22
UNC Rebound Leader: Armando Bacot 11
UNC Assist Leader: Elliot Cadeau and Harrison Ingram 3
Team Records: UNC 13-3, 5-0 ACC, Syracuse 11-5, 2-3 ACC

• UNC improved to 7-0 at home this season and 34-5 at home under head coach Hubert Davis.
• Carolina has won six in a row (ties the longest streak under Davis, longest since 2021-22).
• The Tar Heels are 5-0 in the ACC for the first time since 2015-16 (won their first eight ACC games that season).
• The 103 points were UNC’s most in an ACC game since a 113-96 win over NC State on 2/5/2019.
• RJ Davis made four three-pointers. It was the 13th straight game Davis made multiple three-pointers, tying the second-longest streak in UNC history. Justin Jackson set the record with 15 straight games in 2017. Marcus Paige had two streaks of 13 games and Shammond Williams and Donald Williams also had streak of 13 games with multiple 3FGs.

• Davis passed Mitch Kupchak, Hubert Davis, Jawad Williams, Justin Jackson and Eric Montross in career scoring to move into 24th place in UNC history. Davis has 1,630 points. Kupchak scored 1,611 from 1973-76, Hubert Davis scored 1,615 from 1988-92, Williams scored 1,626 from 2002-05, Jackson scored 1,626 from 2014-17 and Montross scored 1,627 from 1990-94.
• Davis tied his career high with five steals (also vs. Charleston Southern).
• Davis scored 22 points, his 10th 20-point game of the season and 22nd of his career. UNC is 7-3 this season and 17-5 overall when Davis scores 20 or more.
• Davis led UNC in scoring for the 12th time this season and 31st time in his career. UNC is 9-3 this season and 20-11 in his career when he leads UNC in scoring. It was the seventh time this season he led all scorers on both teams.

• Bacot had 16 points and 11 rebounds, his eighth double-double of the season and 76th of his career. He is first in UNC history and third in ACC history with 76 double-doubles. It was Bacot’s fourth double-double in his last five games against the Orange.
• Bacot passed the 1,500-rebound mark. He is Carolina’s all-time leader with 1,507.
• Bacot played in his 148th game, tying Brice Johnson for fifth in games played by a Tar Heel.
• Harrison Ingram also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. It was his third of the season and eighth of his career.
• Ingram grabbed double-figure rebounds for the third time in four games. He had 15 at Pitt, a career-high 19 at NC State and 10 vs. Syracuse.

• Jalen Washington scored in double figures (11) for the third time this season and fourth overall.
• It was the first time this season two Tar Heels (Bacot and Ingram) had double-doubles.
• Carolina held the Orange to 29.0% from the floor in the first half. It was the third straight half the opponents shot under 30% for a half (NC State shot 28.1 and 26.5 by half in Raleigh). It was the fourth time in six halves the opponents shot below 30% (also Pittsburgh in the second half).
• Carolina led 52-30 at halftime. The 22-point margin was UNC’s largest halftime lead in an ACC game since leading Florida State by 38 on 2/12/2022.
• The 22-point lead equaled the second largest of the season (23 vs. UC Riverside and 22 vs. Tennessee).

• Carolina had a 10-0 run early in the second half. It was the 10th time in 16 games UNC had at least one 10-0 run a game.
• Carolina scored a season-high 22 second-chance points. The previous high was 16 vs. UC Riverside. UNC is 10-0 this season when scoring more second-chance points.
• Carolina out-rebounded the Orange, 53-30. The margin (+23) was the largest of the season (previous +21 vs. Lehigh and CSU).
• Carolina’s 53 rebounds were a season high (52 vs. Lehigh).
• Carolina’s 58 paint points were a season high (previous was 52 vs. Charleston Southern).

• Five Tar Heels scored in double figures, the third time this season five or more Tar Heels scored in double figures.
• UNC has held six straight opponents under 70 points.
• Syracuse shot 36.5%, the fifth consecutive opponent to shoot below 40%. The last time Carolina held five consecutive opponents under 40% shooting was the first five games in 2019-20.
• Cormac Ryan was a game-high plus 35, the most by a Tar Heel in an ACC game this season.
• Carolina made a season-high 13 steals, most since making 13 in a 38-point win at Wake Forest 2/16/2019.
• Carolina’s bench outscored the Syracuse bench, 39-19, UNC’s largest margin in an ACC game this season.

Carolina-Syracuse
• Carolina is 17-6 all-time against the Orange, including 7-0 in Chapel Hill (all in the Smith Center).
• The Tar Heels have won three in a row and 13 of 16 since Syracuse joined the ACC prior to the 2014-15 season.
• The 103 points were the most UNC has scored against Syracuse (previous was 96 in an overtime win 11/21/87.
• The 36-point margin Carolina’s largest win over the Orange. The previous was 23 twice (87-64 win in Charlotte on 1/8/83 and an 87-64 win in Syracuse on 12/10/83).
• It was the first time UNC played Syracuse without Jim Boeheim as the Orange’s head coach since 3/20/1975, an NCAA Tournament game in Providence, R.I. That was the second of 23 times the Tar Heels have played the Orange.

Next Game: Wednesday, January 17, vs. Louisville in Chapel Hill, 9 p.m., ACC Network