North Carolina does not have long to dwell on its latest setback.
Just days after a historically embarrassing loss to NC State, the Tar Heels (20-6, 8-5 ACC) head north to face Syracuse in another conference test. UNC visits the Orange (15-12, 6-8 ACC) for a 1 p.m. tipoff Saturday, returning to the court against an opponent it already handled 87-77 on Feb. 2 in Chapel Hill — though this time, the personnel picture has changed.
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The Tar Heels will be without standout freshman Caleb Wilson, sidelined indefinitely after breaking his hand. Seven-foot center Henri Veesaar is also expected to sit again, still listed as day-to-day. Combined with other frontcourt injuries, those absences leave UNC with only two regular contributors in the post.
The Orange are looking to bounce back from a 101-64 home drubbing by Duke on Monday, a blowout that abruptly ended their two-game winning streak. But playing at the JMA Wireless Dome is not a walk in the park.
Here are three keys to victory for Carolina.
Keep the crowd at bay
Dec 2, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Fans storm the court following the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
Syracuse plays at the JMA Wireless Dome, which also serves as its football stadium and is the largest on-campus basketball arena in the nation, with a capacity of 35,642. Both teams will likely play in front of a sold-out crowd, but most of the fans will be cheering for the Orange, not the Tar Heels.
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Playing against a team with more than 35,000 fans in attendance will be difficult, so the Tar Heels must do whatever they can to quiet the crowd — in layman’s terms, take control of the game.
More efficient three-point shooting
Feb 17, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Luka Bogavac (44) shoots the ball during the second half against the NC State Wolfpack at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
The Tar Heels must hit their 3-point shots. In their latest game, UNC made only five of its 33 3-point attempts.
Since Seth Trimble hit a game-winning 3-pointer to beat Duke, the Tar Heels are 22-for-85 from 3, a dismal 25.9%. Before this stretch, the Tar Heels were in the top five in the ACC in 3-point percentage in conference play, shooting 37.1%.
That’s bad. If there were any game to flip the script, it would be this one.
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The backcourt must step up
Feb 17, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) brings the ball around NC State Wolfpack forward Musa Sagnia (13) during the first half at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
The Tar Heels’ backcourt combined to shoot 11-for-43 from the field against NC State, which is nearly 25%. Trimble, who has been Carolina’s most reliable player in its backcourt, scored just four points and went 1-for-9 from the field.
Somebody has to step up and be a difference-maker, with Veesaar’s status still in question and Wilson being out for a considerable amount of time.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Three keys for Tar Heels to avoid third straight road loss
