Thanks to Henri Veesaar’s return on Saturday, the UNC basketball team is back in the win column. North Carolina roared ahead midway through the second half on Saturday, downing Syracuse 77-64 and sweeping the season series.
Earlier last week, the Tar Heels lost an embarrassing, 82-58 rivalry battle with NC State. UNC looked overwhelmed from opening tip, with the host Wolfpack (19-8, 10-4 ACC) playing off a rowdy crowd.
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North Carolina is still in the rankings ahead of Monday night’s home clash with Louisville – and a win should further improve its standing. In college basketball analyst Andy Katz’ latest Power 37 rankings, the Tar Heels dropped to 29th.
UNC sits between Iowa (28th) and Georgia (30). The Hawkeyes split a pair of ranked games last week, upsetting Nebraska and losing at Wisconsin, while the Bulldogs upset Kentucky and Texas.
North Carolina is still awaiting Caleb Wilson’s return, but his teammates are stepping up, including unlikely heroes like Zayden High. The Tar Heels’ backcourt is still trying to find consistency, but senior captain Seth Trimble is a key behind big games.
UNC faces a brutal schedule to end regular season play, starting with the ranked Cardinals (20-7, 9-5 ACC) on Monday night. North Carolina hosts Virginia Tech on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m., Clemson next Tuesday at 7 p.m., then a rematch at Duke on March 7.
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The Tar Heels currently sit in a sixth-place tie with Louisville in the ACC, meaning they’d have a single bye in the ACC Tournament. UNC has an outside chance to clinch the ACC regular season title, but needs the conference-leading Blue Devils (25-2, 13-1 ACC) and others to, essentially, lose out.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball falls to 29th in latest Power 37 rankings
