Watch: Syracuse fans storm the court after beating No. 7 UNC

Fans storm the court following the game between North Carolina Tar Heels and the Syracuse Orange. Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Syracuse fans storm the court after beating No. 7 North Carolina

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 2/13/24

Entering play on Tuesday, it had been five years since the Syracuse men's basketball team had beaten an AP Top 10 team.

That changed with a massive 86-79 win over No. 7-ranked North Carolina on Tuesday night.

It also resulted in the Syracuse student section storming the court in celebration.

SYRACUSE FANS STORM THE COURT AFTER BEATING NO. 7 UNC pic.twitter.com/Dey8UgjiJA
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 14, 2024

There was a time where beating a Top 10 team at home would have been business as usual for the Orange and the sort of thing that would be expected. The program has declined a bit in recent years, however, and has just one NCAA Tournament appearance in the past four years. It has missed the tournament in each of the past two seasons.

Tuesday's win improves them to 16-9 on the season and is easily their biggest win of the season.

As for North Carolina, it is another big slip in recent weeks as the Tar Heels have lost three of their past five games, with all three losses coming to unranked opponents. There was a big win against rival Duke mixed in there, but nothing about the Tar Heels looks like a championship-caliber team right now.

They climbed as high as No. 3 in the rankings this season but dropped to No. 7 this week. This loss could push them even lower in the next AP rankings if they do not bounce back at home against Virginia Tech on Saturday.

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