UNC and Syracuse to play for title

North Carolina and Syracuse will meet at 7 pm in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic.

And after a busy day in New York City that included Wall Street, the World Trade Center and Times Square, the DTH contingent is ready to cover it.

The Tar Heels advanced to this game by defeating Ohio State 77-73 on Thursday, while the Orange qualified with a 95-73 win against No. 12 California.

The matchup features two Hall of Fame coaches and two of the winningest programs in NCAA history. UNC ranks second on that list, while SU ranks fifth.

The last time Roy Williams and Jim Boeheim met was in the 2003 NCAA Championship game, when Syracuse beat Williams' Kansas team 81-78.

North Carolina leads the all-time series with Syracuse, 4-2, but the two teams have not met since 1987.

UNC will face a tough test with the Orange tonight. Syracuse cruised Thursday night against the higher-ranked Bears. Their length and zone defense gave the Cal offense fits.

Scoop Jardine scored a career high 22 points in the contest.

It's rare for a UNC opponent to average more points than the up-tempo Tar Heels, but the Orange have averaged 90.0 points in three wins this season, 4.5 more than UNC.

North Carolina has been the better rebounding team this season, but the Syracuse zone has made for 16.0 steals per game. UNC's offense against that zone will be an interesting matchup.

Deon Thompson leads UNC in both scoring (17.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg). Marcus Ginyard (11.8), Ed Davis (10.5) and Tyler Zeller (10.5) also score in double digits.

Syracuse will likely have the homecourt advantage, as they are playing their 164th game in Madison Square Garden. But UNC had a strong contingent in the stands Thursday night as well.