Syracuse @ North Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 7, 2018 ) Syracuse 59, North Carolina 78

North Carolina is starting to look more and more like a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The fifth-ranked Tar Heels aim for their 11th win in 12 games Tuesday when they host Syracuse in ACC action.

In their last three games, the Tar Heels have routed Wake Forest by 38 points, topped then-No. 1 Duke on the road and beaten another ranked team, Florida State, by 18 points. Among the keys for North Carolina against the Seminoles was a 47-32 rebounding advantage. "That's something that we emphasize all the time," coach Roy Williams said, "so you should do things better if it's what you emphasize the most." The Orange, meanwhile, got outrebounded by a Duke team that didn't even have Zion Williamson in Saturday's 10-point home defeat to the Blue Devils.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Raycom

ABOUT SYRACUSE (18-9, 9-5 ACC): Tyus Battle (17.1 points per game) is just 11-of-40 from the floor in the last three games and Elijah Hughes is 10-for-33 over the same span. Aside from their two big men, the Orange players shot a collective 15-of-55 from the floor against Duke. Syracuse has played six games in February and has yet to score 70 points in any of them.

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (22-5, 12-2): The Tar Heels got double-doubles from Cameron Johnson (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Luke Maye (15 and 11) against Florida State. Johnson has made multiple 3-pointers in nine of the last 10 games and has only three turnovers in 161 minutes over the last five games. Freshman Nassir Little chipped in 18 points off the bench after totaling seven points in the previous three games.

TIP-INS

1. Hughes has not shot above 43 percent from the floor in any of his last eight games.

2. In his last four games, Tar Heels G Coby White is 6-of-27 from 3-point land.

3. Starting on Tuesday, the Orange play three of their final four regular-season games on the road.

PREDICTION: North Carolina 83, Syracuse 66