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Caleb Wilson scores 22 points to lead No. 14 North Carolina past Syracuse, 87-77

Caleb Wilson scores 22 points to lead No. 14 North Carolina past Syracuse, 87-77 | iNFOnews.ca
North Carolina center Henri Veesaar, left, drives against Syracuse forward William Kyle III, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Caleb Wilson had 22 points and nine rebounds as No. 14 North Carolina held off Syracuse 87-77 on Monday night after building a 32-point lead midway through the second half.

Syracuse shaved the deficit to six with 42 seconds remaining before the Tar Heels finally closed it out from the free-throw line.

Henri Veesaar added 17 points and 11 boards for his Atlantic Coast Conference-leading 12th double-double. Jonathan Powell scored 12 points and Luka Bogavac had 10 for the Tar Heels (18-4, 6-3), who will carry a four-game winning streak into Saturday’s showdown with No. 4 Duke in Chapel Hill.

Wilson went 6 of 14 from the field and reached 20 points for the 16th time, most by a UNC freshman.

Donnie Freeman finished with 23 points and eight rebounds to lead Syracuse (13-10, 4-6), which lost for the fifth time in six games. Naithan George added 15 points.

The Tar Heels led 72-40 with 9:40 left before Syracuse made it respectable late with an 11-1 run.

Back-to-back 3s by Veesaar and Powell gave UNC its first-double digit lead at 23-12. Syracuse hit seven straight shots to get back within five, but the Tar Heels answered with a 12-0 spurt to open a 46-32 advantage at halftime.

Eighteen of Freeman’s points came in that first half, when the Orange shot 44% but committed nine turnovers.

Up next

Syracuse visits No. 18 Virginia on Saturday.

North Carolina hosts No. 4 Duke on Saturday.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Caleb Wilson scores 22 points to lead No. 14 North Carolina past Syracuse, 87-77 | iNFOnews.ca
Syracuse forward Kiyan Anthony, left, drives against North Carolina center Henri Veesaar (13) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Caleb Wilson scores 22 points to lead No. 14 North Carolina past Syracuse, 87-77 | iNFOnews.ca
North Carolina forward Jonathan Powell, center, drives against Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman (1) and guard JJ Starling (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Caleb Wilson scores 22 points to lead No. 14 North Carolina past Syracuse, 87-77 | iNFOnews.ca
Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry applauds his team’s play during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

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Doug Bonjour

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