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Syracuse Basketball Podcast: Orange vs. North Carolina preview

The Pitt win was full of pleasant surprises, and more evidence that even with a razor-thin chance at the NCAA Tournament, these Orange are hard to look away from.

By Bobby Manning and James Szuba

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TNIAAP

The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team stood up from a potentially season-derailing loss to Louisville and this team proves what’s been evident since ACC play began, they’re right there among the top of the middling teams.

Whatever that’s worth, it makes it interesting enough to watch this group. Only now it’s too late to even talk ourselves into an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. James Szuba and Bobby Manning try and fail in this edition of the Syracuse Basketball Podcast.

That doesn’t mean the Orange aren’t capable of pulling us back to the TV, with a stellar second half against Georgia Tech and a beatdown at Pittsburgh. Even Bourama Sidibe is joining the productive fold, filling the scoring gap Buddy Boeheim’s 0 points cast over the team against Florida State and Pittsburgh

North Carolina arrives for the Dome finale until the fall, starting a light finish to the regular season for the Orange on paper. They’ll control their destiny for the five seed in the ACC Tournament, but whether due to the brand or Cole Anthony’s return the Tarheels don’t strike as a walkthrough.

Syracuse’s history against them, now having lost eight straight games back to 2015, doesn’t bode well either. BC and Miami trips aside, the Orange still have one more test left before an intriguing postseason where the ACC (and probably NIT) have higher stakes than we’re used to.

Show log

  • 0:00-4:00 Syracuse likely fifth best ACC team for whatever that’s worth
  • 4:00-10:15 What does it say that Orange can get by without Buddy Boeheim’s offense?
  • 10:15-13:30 Cuse gets a KenPom bump
  • 13:30-19:00 The Bourama Sidibe game
  • 19:00-24:30 The Brendan Paul shot and Jalen Carey mascot chat
  • 24:30-28:20 Syracuse’s at-large chances are over, right?
  • 28:20-34:50 North Carolina preview
  • 34:50-38:00 Michael Carter-Williams vs. Carmelo Anthony on Monday

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