Orange Clash With Tar Heels on Senior Day

Game Details: Saturday, Feb. 29, Syracuse, N.Y. | 4 p.m.
Television: ESPN | Watch ESPN
Live Coverage: Stats
Twitter: @cuse | @Cuse_MBB
Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
North Carolina Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- After cruising past Pittsburgh in a 23-point victory on Wednesday night, Syracuse returns to the Carrier Dome for their its season home finale against ACC foe North Carolina on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.

Tickets for the game are available online, by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Dome Box Office located at the Ensley Athletic Center on non-game days and at Gate B at the Dome on the day of the game.

The game will be televised nationally on ESPN and the Watch ESPN app. Fans can also listen to all the action on the Syracuse Sports Network from Learfield IMG College, including TK99 and ESPN Syracuse locally.

Fans should arrive early and visit the backcourt for the 'Cuse Concert Series, featuring Sophistafunk. In addition, its Alumni Day on Saturday and former players will be honored during a halftime ceremony.

HONORING WALLACE
The jersey of former basketball standout John Wallace will join the most significant in Syracuse hoop history when it is officially retired in a halftime ceremony on Saturday.

Wallace will join a group of 14 Syracuse players who have had their jerseys retired: Carmelo Anthony, Dave Bing, Roosevelt Bouie, Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas, Dennis DuVal, Billy Gabor, Vic Hanson, Lawrence Moten, Louis Orr, Billy Owens, Rony Seikaly, Wilmeth Sidat-Singh and Dwayne "Pearl" Washington.

Wallace will be in the Dome backcourt area from 2-3 p.m. to meet fans, take selfies or provide an autograph. The selfie station will be at the bottom of aisle 130 in the backcourt. Dome gates will open at 2 p.m. All fans are invited to bring an item for Wallace to sign; however, the item must be permitted inside the Dome.

SENIOR DAY
Outgoing graduate student Shaun Belbey will be honored in a pregame ceremony prior to Saturday's game. A native of Brick, New Jersey, Belbey has been a member of the men's basketball team since the 2015-16 season when the Orange advanced to the Final Four.

In addition to Belbey, senior team managers Joe Carello (a sport management major from Syracuse, New York), Harry Dydo (an exercise science major from Syracuse, New York), Athan Katsantonis (a human development and family science major from Upper Saddle River, New Jersey), Nicole Kittay (a sport management major from Bethesda, Maryland) and Hunter Pomerantz (a sport management major from Old Westbury, New York) will also be recognized.

STRIPE THE DOME
Syracuse will host its final "Stripe the Dome" game on Saturday. Fans are encouraged to wear an orange, blue or white T-shirt depending on their seat location. Click here for a seating chart for Saturday's game.

ORANGE UPDATE
Twenty-five points from Elijah Hughes and a double-double from Bourama Sidibe helped Syracuse take down Pittsburgh, 72-49, Wednesday night at Petersen Events Center. With the win the Orange sweep the season series with the Panthers and grab their second consecutive conference victory.

Sidibe recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds to earn his third double-double of the season while also contributing team highs in blocks (4) and steals (5). Hughes added nine boards, which tie his season high. Joseph Girard III was the other 'Cuse playe to score in double-figures, finishing with 16 points.

With his 25-point performance, Hughes increases his ACC-best scoring average to 18.8 points per game. The redshirt junior is the only player in the conference to average 18 or more points with Louisville's Jordan Nwora (17.9 ppg.) being the next closest player. The Beacon, New York native also ranks third in 3-point field goals per game (2.4) and 10th in both assists per game (3.7) and field goal percentage (.425).

Buddy Boeheim brings the ACC's best 3-point field goal percentage, knocking down 38.3 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. The sophomore guard knocks down a conference-high 3.1 triples per contest, good for 12th in the nation.

The pair of Hughes and Boeheim average the most combined points per game (33.8), the most combined 3-point field goals per game (5.5) and the most combined minutes per game (72.5) of any two ACC teammates.

Girard III (13.1 ppg.) and Marek Dolezaj (10.4 ppg.) complete the quartet of 'Cuse scorers averaging 10+ points. Girard III leads the conference with a .908 success rate from the charity stripe while also ranking third in the conference in freshman scoring, trailing only Duke's Vernon Carey (17.6 ppg.) and Virginia Tech's Landers Nolley II (16.6 ppg.).

Meanwhile, the Slovakian junior places eighth in the conference in offensive boards (69) and ranks within the ACC's top 20 assists per game leaders (2.8).
Syracuse has played an unselfish brand of basketball, tying with North Carolina for the fourth-most assists per game in the conference (14.3). Additionally, the Orange bring a fundamentally sound squad to Saturday's contest, averaging the third-fewest turnovers per game (11.7) in the ACC.

SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS
North Carolina hits the road after snapping a seven-game losing streak against in-state rival NC State, 85-79. The losing streak was UNC's longest in the Roy Williams-era. The Tar Heels enter the contest at 11-17 on the season with a conference-worst 4-13 record against ACC opponents. Away from Chapel Hill, UNC has only one victory against an in-conference opponent this season, coming on January 27 when it took down NC State, 75-65.

The Tar Heel offense has been buoyed by three double-digit scorers this season: Cole Anthony (19.4 ppg.), Garrison Brooks (15.7 ppg.) and Brandon Robinson (11.9 ppg.).
While he was hampered by an early-season injury, Anthony's dynamic game has allowed him to quickly accumulate impressive stats since returning to the court. The New York City native cracks the top five on the team in rebounds (105), assists (63), steals (24) and three-point makes (36).

Brooks has wowed from the field this season, knocking down 53.2 percent of his field goal attempts, a mark good for third best in the ACC. The junior forward has also found success on the other end of the court, tying with Wake Forest's Olivier Sarr for the third-most rebounds per game in the conference (8.5).

Robinson brings a penchant for knocking down the long ball to Saturday's contest. The Georgia-native is tied for fifth in the ACC in 3-point field goals per game (2.3) and leads the Tar Heels with a .336 three-point field goal percentage (min. 10 attempts).

Head coach Roy Williams is in his 17th season at Chapel Hill. Williams has led the Tar Heels to a 464-150 record during his time at UNC. The nine-time national coach of the year has accumulated 882 wins at the Division I level, a total that ranks fourth all-time behind Mike Krzyzewski (1,155), Jim Boeheim (962) and Bob Knight (902).

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will be the 17th all-time meeting between Syracuse and North Carolina. The Tar Heels have won the past eight matchups, most recently prevailing over the Orange 93-85 behind 34 points from Coby White. Syracuse's last win over UNC came on January 11, 2014 when a 20-point performance from C.J. Fair allowed to Orange to move to 16-0 on the 2013-14 campaign.

UP NEXT
The Orange head off to Chestnut Hill to take on the Boston College Eagles on Tuesday, March 3 at the Conte Forum. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and the Watch ESPN app.

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow us on Twitter (@Cuse_MBB), Instagram (cuse_mbb) and like us on Facebook (SyracuseOrange).

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Players Mentioned

Shaun Belbey

Buddy Boeheim

Marek Dolezaj

C.J. Fair

Joseph Girard III

Elijah Hughes

Bourama Sidibe

Syracuse University Athletics