The North Carolina Tar Heels will be without one key player and perhaps another when it takes on Syracuse from the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday. According to the ACC’s availability report, North Carolina will be without star freshman Caleb Wilson.
Wilson suffered a broken left hand in North Carolina’s loss at Miami on Feb. 10. Wilson averages 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals per game.
North Carolina sophomore center Henri Veesaar is listed as questionable. He’s missed the last two games for the Tar Heels.
Veesaar suffered a lower-body injury at Miami. Reports out of Chapel Hill indicate that Veesaar returned to practice on Friday. He averages 16.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.
Syracuse struggled to defend the two Carolina big men in the first meeting earlier this month. Wilson and Veesaar combined for 39 points and 20 rebounds on 13-25 shooting in that game. Syracuse trailed by as many as 32 points in Chapel Hill before trimming the deficit to six with under a minute to play. The Orange wound up losing the contest 87-77.
Jarin Stevenson has stepped up for the North Carolina frontcourt in Wilson and Veesaar’s absences. He’s averaging 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds over the last three games on 66.7% shooting. Zayden High, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, has averaged 14.0 points and 8.5 rebounds on 65% shooting since moving to the starting lineup two games ago.
Syracuse starts Donnie Freeman and William Kyle III across its backline. Freeman had 23 points and 8 rebounds with Wilson matched up with him in the first meeting. Kyle had 2 points and 6 rebounds with Veesaar guarding him.
Syracuse and North Carolina is set for tip-off at 1pm ET Saturday with the game broadcast on ABC.