North Carolina Tar Heels vs Syracuse Orange Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: North Carolina Tar Heels vs Syracuse Orange

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY

TV: ABC

The Syracuse Orange (15-12) will play the North Carolina Tar Heels (20-6) at JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday.

The North Carolina Tar Heels faced off with North Carolina State and took a loss by a final of 82-58 in their last game. North Carolina ended the game with a 31.7% FG percentage (19 of 60) and converted 5 out of their 33 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Tar Heels converted 15 of their 21 shots for a rate of 71.4%. When talking about pulling down rebounds, they collected 37 with 15 of them being offensive. They also dished out 9 assists as well as forcing the other team into 4 turnovers, but didn't record a steal for the team. With respect to defense, North Carolina allowed their opponent to shoot 48.4% from the floor on 31 out of 64 shooting. North Carolina State earned 13 assists and had 7 steals in the matchup. On top of that, North Carolina State grabbed 38 rebounds (12 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't notch a block. North Carolina State finished the contest at 68.8% at the charity stripe by converting 11 of their 16 attempts. They also made 9 of 20 tries from beyond the perimeter. In the matter of fouls, the Tar Heels walked away with 16 while North Carolina State had 17 fouls.

Jarin Stevenson is one player who was a factor in this matchup. He finished the game shooting 57.1% from the field and also recorded 1 assist. He saw the court for 35 minutes played and also grabbed 9 boards. He accounted for 13 points on 4 out of 7 shooting.

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North Carolina steps onto the court with a win-loss mark of 20-6 for the year. They have an average of 80.9 pts per game (81st in the nation) while connecting on 47.0% from the field. The Tar Heels are connecting on 33.5% on 3-pointers (222 of 662) and 69.3% from the free throw line. As a team, North Carolina is grabbing 38.8 boards per game and has totaled 430 dimes this year, which has them ranked 62nd in college in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 9.4 times per game and as a unit are committing 14.5 fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Tar Heels are forcing their opponents into 9.5 turnovers every game while drawing 18.2 personal fouls. They are ranked 122nd in D-1 in giving up assists with 338 surrendered on the season. The Tar Heels are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 41.3% (680 of 1,647) and they concede 34.3 rebounds per game as a squad. They are conceding 34.4% on 3-point attempts and they rank 99th in college in PPG allowed (70.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the Syracuse Orange took a defeat with a final score of 101-64 when they played Duke. The Orange earned 13 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 23 for this game. They also turned it over 11 times, while earning 3 steals for this contest. Duke was called for 13 fouls for the game which took the Orange to the charity stripe for 8 tries. They were able to convert 2 of those for a clip of 25.0%. When discussing shooting from 3-point land, Syracuse knocked down 10 of 27 tries (37.0%). At the conclusion of this game, the Orange finished the game shooting 26 out of 63 from the field which gave them a percentage of 41.3%. The Orange allowed Duke to make 38 of 61 tries from the floor which had them shooting 62.3% in the matchup. They went 60.0% from 3-point land by going 12 out of 20 and walked away from this one shooting 13 of 20 at the free throw line (65.0%). When discussing attacking the glass, Syracuse permitted Duke to pull down 38 in total (10 offensive).

William Kyle III ended up having an impact for the Orange for the contest. He racked up 12 points in his 25 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist in the game. He buried 6 out of 8 in the game for a rate of 75.0%, and had 3 rebounds.

Syracuse has a win-loss record of 15-12 so far this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Orange are connecting on 47.1% from the field, which ranks 72nd in college. Syracuse has accumulated 2,053 points for the season (76.0 per game) and they grab 34.8 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.1 times per game (242nd in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.2 times per game. The Orange have committed 16.5 personal fouls per game and they shoot 63.2% from the free throw line.

The Syracuse defense concedes 33.5% on shots from distance (188 of 561) and their opposition knocks down 72.5% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 13.9 dimes and 36.9 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 219th and 317th in the country. The Orange defensively are ranked 162nd in college hoops in PPG allowed with 73.2. They are forcing 12.5 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.4% from the field (142nd in Division 1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take North Carolina

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