North Carolina basketball vs. Syracuse: Score prediction for ACC matchup

North Carolina basketball will hit the road to face Syracuse (13-7, 6-3 ACC) on Tuesday (9 p.m., ESPN).

The Tar Heels (14-6, 6-3 ACC) are coming off a rivalry win against NC State that was marred by the injury to Terquavion Smith, the ACC’s leading scorer.

Senior big man Armando Bacot broke a pair of UNC records in the victory against the Wolfpack.

Here are some things to know and a score prediction ahead of Carolina’s game against Syracuse.

RJ Davis lighting it up

RJ Davis only needed eight shots to score a game-high 26 points in UNC’s 80-69 win against NC State. The junior guard from New York finished 14-for-14 at the free-throw line.

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Davis has been on a tear in January. Through six games in 2023, he’s averaging 18.6 points with an 18-for-32 clip (56%) from 3-point range. His 89.8% from the free-throw line leads the ACC.

Davis had 17 points, including five 3-pointers, in UNC’s 88-79 overtime win against Syracuse last season at the Smith Center.

Puff Johnson injury

A sore right knee has caused Puff Johnson to miss four games this season, including UNC’s matchup against NC State.

UNC coach Hubert Davis on Monday said there is a “chance” Johnson could play Tuesday.

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“Puff is going a lot better in practice,” Davis said during the ACC’s weekly teleconference. “It was two days before the NC State game. His knee was just really sore. … Every day it has gotten better. There is a chance he could play (at Syracuse).”

It’s the same knee issue that held Johnson out in UNC’s first three games of the season. The junior win is averaging 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game.

Facing Syracuse’s zone

Carolina committed a season-low seven turnovers against the Wolfpack, but had just five assists on 20 baskets.

Facing Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, the Tar Heels will need to continue taking care of the ball while boosting its assist numbers. Carolina had 21 assists in last season’s win against the Orange.

UNC logged 20 or more assists in back-to-back games against The Citadel (24 assists) and Ohio State (20), but has single-digit assists in three of the last four games.

Score and prediction

UNC 78, Syracuse 73: The Tar Heels have struggled on the road, but Davis and Bacot are playing at an all-ACC level in January. Caleb Love, who scored 21 points against Syracuse last season, has a good chance to get back on track. UNC gets the road victory before a week-long break.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball score prediction vs. Syracuse: Here's how it shakes out