The North Carolina Tar Heels are back in action to start the month of February, and an important week. With a rivalry game against Duke looming for Saturday, the Tar Heels are set to play host to Syracuse on Monday night in the Dean Dome.
With a three-game win streak, UNC is looking to continue its hot play and improve its tournament resume.
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In their last outing, the Tar Heels beat Georgia Tech 91-75 behind an efficient offense, strong guard and frontcourt play, and its best free-throw shooting performance of the season. The Tar Heels improved to 17-4 overall and 5-3 in the ACC, turning the ball over only twice and converting 14 Georgia Tech turnovers into 18 points after nearly a week off and a key road win at ranked Virginia.
Caleb Wilson led UNC with 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting, plus four assists and four rebounds, marking his third straight 20-point game and sixth in his last eight. Junior center Henri Veesaar added 20 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks for his 11th double-double, tying Wilson for the ACC lead, while senior guard Seth Trimble chipped in 18 points.
Off the bench, Luka Bogavac scored 16 points and hit three 3-pointers, and Jarin Stevenson supplied seven points, six rebounds and two assists. The Tar Heels shot 11-for-12 (91.6 percent) from the foul line, with Veesaar and Wilson a combined 6-for-6, and are now 26-for-34 (76.4 percent) over their last two games after entering with a 67.6 percent season mark.
Syracuse has struggled this season as the Orange have a 12-9 overall and 4-5 ACC record in a year where head coach Adrian Autry is on the hot seat going into his third season. Syracuse did pick up a 86-72 win over Notre Dame on Saturday night.
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Keep reading below for our full game preview of North Carolina’s matchup with Syracuse including the Tar Heels’ keys to victory, something to watch, statistical leaders for each team, streaming information and the complete schedule.
Keys to Victory
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JANUARY 31: Seth Trimble #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels attempts a shot against Akai Fleming #0 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the second half at Hank McCamish Pavilion on January 31, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
As simple and straight to the point as it sounds: score points and do not allow points.
That may sound niche, but that has been Carolina’s M.O. throughout conference play. In ACC games, the Tar Heels lead the league in scoring offense (84.7 points per game), field goal percentage (49.2 percent) and effective field goal percentage (56.4 percent). They are also fifth in 3-point shooting at 34.7 percent.
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While the defense has shown growth over the past couple of games, UNC is still 16th in the conference in scoring defense (82.1 points allowed per game) and last in opponents’ 3-point field goal percentage (42.1 percent).
Monday’s game against Syracuse will show whether the Tar Heels are ready for Duke.
What to Watch Out For
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA – JANUARY 24: Luka Bogavac #44 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives past Thijs de Ridder #28 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half of a game at John Paul Jones Arena on January 24, 2026 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
The continued success of Luka Bogavac.
After a rough start to the beginning of ACC play that led to his benching, the Montenegrin wing’s recent form off the bench has turned him into one of the Tar Heels’ most important contributors in ACC play.
Over UNC’s last five conference games, Bogavac is averaging 11.8 points per game off the bench while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from 3-point range.
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Statistical leaders
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JANUARY 31: Caleb Wilson #8 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dunks against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first half at Hank McCamish Pavilion on January 31, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Points
UNC: Caleb Wilson (20.0)
Syracuse: Donnie Freeman (18.3)
Rebounds
UNC: Caleb Wilson (9.9)
Syracuse: William Kyle (7.5)
Assists
UNC: Kyan Evans (3.0)
Syracuse: Naithan George (5.5)
What you need to know
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JANUARY 31: Henri Veesaar #13 of the North Carolina Tar Heels attacks the basket against Baye Ndongo #11 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the second half at Hank McCamish Pavilion on January 31, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
WHAT? Syracuse Orange (13-9, 4-5 ACC) AT North Carolina Tar Heels (15-4, 3-3 ACC)
WHEN? Monday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. ET
WHERE? Dean E. Smith Center (14,623) in Chapel Hill
TV? ESPN
RADIO? SiriusXM (Channel 193)
LINE? UNC -9.5
LAST MEETING? North Carolina 88, Syracuse 82 on Feb. 15, 2025
ALL-TIME SERIES: North Carolina leads all-time series 18-7
UNC basketball 2025-26 schedule
Jan 21, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) reacts in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
October 4: Blue-White Scrimmage (White 55, Blue 50)
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Oct. 24: at BYU (preseason, L 78-76)
Oct. 29: vs. Winston-Salem State (preseason, W 95-53)
Nov. 3: vs. Central Arkansas (W, 94-54)
Nov. 7: vs. Kansas (W, 87-74)
Nov. 11: vs. Radford (W, 89-74)
Nov. 14: vs. NC Central (W, 97-53)
Nov. 18: vs. Navy (W, 73-61)
Nov. 25: vs. St. Bonaventure in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (W, 85-70)
Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (L, 74-58)
December 2: at Kentucky (W, 67-64)
Dec. 7: vs. Georgetown (W, 81-61)
Dec. 13: vs. USC Upstate (W, 80-62)
Dec. 16: vs. ETSU (W, 77-58)
Dec. 20: vs. Ohio State in CBS Sports Classic (W, 71-70)
Dec. 22: vs. East Carolina (W, 99-51)
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Dec. 30: vs. Florida State (W 79-66)
January 3, 2026: at SMU (L 97-83)
Jan. 10, 2026: vs. Wake Forest (W 87-84)
Jan. 14, 2026: at Stanford (L 95-90)
Jan. 17, 2026: at California (L 84-78)
Jan. 21, 2026: vs. Notre Dame (W 90-69)
Jan. 24, 2026: at Virginia (W 85-80)
Jan. 31, 2026: at Georgia Tech (W 91-75.)
Feb. 2, 2026: vs. Syracuse (7 p.m.)
Feb. 7, 2026: vs. Duke (6:30 p.m.)
Feb. 10, 2026: at Miami (FL) (7 p.m.)
Feb. 14, 2026: vs. Pitt (2 p.m.)
Feb. 17, 2026: at NC State (7 p.m.)
Feb. 21, 2026: at Syracuse (1 p.m.)
Feb. 23, 2026: vs. Louisville (7 p.m.)
Feb. 28, 2026: vs. Virginia Tech (TBA)
March 3, 2026: vs. Clemson (7 p.m.)
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March 7, 2026: at Duke (6:30 p.m.)
March 10-14, 2026: ACC Tournament in Spectrum Center (Charlotte, N.C.)
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball: Previewing Saturday’s ACC matchup vs. Syracuse
