3- Stars:
CJ Fair- Fair had 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a full 40 minutes of playing time today against the Heels. On a day that Syracuse shot miserably from the field, CJ kept the offense rolling throughout the game. Fair used a combination of attacking the rim with his mid-range jumper game to keep UNC on their toes, and they never really figured out how to stop Fair. James McAdoo was given the tall task of trying to guard CJ and it's safe to say Carlton James won this one.
Jerami Grant- Back to back double doubles for Jerami Grant has most of Cuse Nation thinking this kid should be permanently in the starting lineup. It's not just Grant's freakish ability to attack the rim on drives and put backs, but also his length on the defensive end of the floor. Grant sucked in 8 defensive rebounds while leading the teeth of the zone against the Tar Heels. Grant and Christmas altered countless UNC shots today, and that was a deciding factor in today's game.
2-3 Zone- Clearly, the 2-3 zone was very effective in slowing down the Tar Heel offense. Holding a team with that kind of talent to 45 points is no small task. Syracuse forced 14 Tar Heel turnovers, including 4 from freshman guard Nate Britt. Trevor Cooney was struggling shooting the ball, but his 5 steals all but made up for it on the defensive end. The Tar Heel forwards besides McAdoo scored just 7 points in total, which doomed UNC.
All in all it was an impressive Victory from the Orange, who face BC on Monday before a huge game against Pitt. After Duke's shocking loss to Clemson today, there's no doubt that Syracuse is the hands down favorite to win the ACC. The real question is... can this team lose?
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