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Quadir Copeland stood eagerly, hands on his hips, waiting for the perfect moment to interrupt head coach Adrian Autry’s postgame press conference.

Copeland’s white jersey, bearing No. 24, was replaced by a branded Syracuse tee. Matching shorts were swapped out for blue sweatpants. The initial celebration looked fun — engulfed by jubilant screams as a sea of frenzied students stormed Jim Boeheim Court before time even expired — but he wanted to celebrate with his coach.

Autry had finally clinched that long-awaited, inaugural statement win and the program’s first over an AP top-10 team since 2019, when it beat then-No. 1 ranked Duke. The last few games were back-breaking, but Tuesday evening’s result seemed to cast away any and all memories of prior nightmarish losses.

Copeland let Autry finish with the media and answered a few questions once reporters filtered into SU’s locker room. How players and staff celebrated is unknown.

How do you react after obtaining one of the biggest victories in the last five years?

When Syracuse played at the Dean Smith Center on Jan. 13, it lost by 36 points. A rematch at home didn’t change the overarching opinion that the Orange had little-to-no chance against the Tar Heels. But in its 86-79 win over No. 7 North Carolina (19-6, 11-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), SU (16-9, 7-7 ACC) shot a season-best 62.5% from the field, headlined by 48 combined points from backcourt stars Judah Mintz and J.J. Starling.

“We wouldn’t have won it if we didn’t think we could win it,” Mintz said. “We’re a confident group, no matter how the odds are stacked against us. We feel like we’re the team to beat.”

Quadir Copeland celebrates as SU fans storm the court after Syracuse’s 86-79 upset win over No. 7 North Carolina. It’s the Orange’s first win over an AP top-10 team since they beat No. 1 Duke on Jan. 14, 2019. Arnav Pokhrel | Staff Photographer

SU’s sophomore floor general has every right to feel that way as he and Starling pieced together a seamless offensive performance to stave off UNC. The pair started aggressively, capitalizing off of switches to rattle home mid-range jumpers and driving layups in the first half. Down the stretch, both guards displayed maturity in their clock management to execute clinically off of ball screens. Sometimes it was making the correct read for a dump-off pass to forward Maliq Brown. Other times, it was taking advantage of a mismatch to can a contested pull-up.

“I think Judah had a stretch where he controlled it. J.J. had a stretch where he controlled it. And they both were going…” Autry said. “Today, they both had it.”

Consistent stops on one end and ensuing high-percentage looks propelled the Orange to their dream start. Chris Bell strung together five quick points and Brown splashed home a couple of unexpected long-range shots to give Syracuse a 13-7 lead. UNC’s RJ Davis and Cormac Ryan missed 3’s from either corner early and SU’s gang-rebounding approach garnered immediate success, limiting the Tar Heels to one-and-done attempts on most trips.

On one play in transition, Mintz streaked downcourt and dished to an open Copeland. Receiving Mintz’s delivery in-stride, Copeland penetrated and hung in the air to finish off the glass over Davis. Then, attacking on an isolation play-call facing North Carolina backup Jae’Lyn Withers, Copeland crossed from right to left — completely fooling Withers. Reaching the left block, Copeland pump-faked and Withers bit, leaving the SU guard an uncontested lefty lay-in.

“We’ve got playmakers,” Copeland said. “Give the ball to our playmakers, find out the mismatches and we’re going to pick on (them) until you switch.”

Tuesday was nothing like the one-sided ambush Syracuse unknowingly walked into weeks prior. There was no 17-4 run within the opening minutes and no daunting 52-30 halftime deficit. The Orange limited Davis and Armando Bacot — both current frontrunners for the Naismith Player of the Year award — to a combined 11 points after the first 20 minutes.

In comparison, the effort was amplified too. Syracuse dove for loose balls, spurred on by a raucous home crowd, as opposed to the demotivating whistles heard at Chapel Hill. SU set up disciplined half-court offenses and stayed connected defensively in Autry’s 2-3 zone — a scheme he preferred due to its ability to keep North Carolina out of the paint.

“They embarrassed us the last time we played them. We wanted to come out and make a statement, at least show that we’re here and we compete,” Mintz said.

Despite generating a 52-43 lead off a pair of Mintz free throws, the surrounding aura remained tense. This was North Carolina. Misses by Davis, Ryan and Harrison Ingram drew cheers but the sporadically ear-splitting crowd grew eerily quiet when Elliot Cadeau — a 19.4% 3-point shooter — nailed from range. Possessing a 58-55 lead with 10 minutes to play seemed too close for comfort. But the impossible against America’s No. 7-ranked side continued.

Losing the ball after Bacot switched onto him, Starling regained possession near midcourt and hoisted — a prayer hoping to beat the play clock. It had to be around 40 feet out — his Kobe Bryant sneakers teasing the large orange ‘S’ etched at midcourt — but Starling’s effort banked in. All he could do was shake his head and smile.

“I work on those shots. It felt good leaving my hands,” Starling said of his hoist.

At times this season, Syracuse has been scrutinized and questioned for its over-reliance on Mintz and Starling to create. Examples of forcing the issue for low-quality attempts litter recent defeats, prompting questions about Autry’s crunch-time decisions. It’s understandable that possession is usually handed to a team’s best players during the game’s final stretches.

But, when the same plan draws disappointing results, is a pivot warranted? If so, table change — preserve it for another day — because Mintz and Starling displayed no shortage in navigating new ways to draw nylon on every effort. Nothing needed to be altered.

The duo will miss shots but they proved a will and capability to produce when called upon under one of college basketball’s brightest lights.

“It’s a dream having two guards that can go and feed off each other,” Starling said.

Published on February 13, 2024 at 9:48 pm

Contact Tyler: [email protected] | @theTylerSchiff