North Carolina Tar Heels
ACC (28-6, 14-4)
In a year of parody in college basketball, North Carolina has been one of the few teams that has been consistent. There were losses along the way, but the Tar Heels frontcourt and steady leadership from versatile guard Marcus Paige have kept UNC towards the top of the polls all season. Paige missed the first six games of the season with a wrist injury, but came on strong after that. There have been some ups and downs with his scoring, but Paige dishes out 3.7 assists per game and only committed 1.2 turnovers per game.
Big Wins: 12/1 Maryland (89-81), 2/14 Pittsburgh (85-64), 2/20 Miami (96-71)
Bad Losses: 11/21 at Northern Iowa (67-71), 12/12 at Texas (82-84), 2/6 at Notre Dame (76-80)
Coach: Roy Williams
Why They Can Surprise:
The frontcourt trio of Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks and Justin Jackson has dominated just about everybody they have played. Johnson is having a superb senior season, averaging 16.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. Johnson is an efficient finisher and a pretty good passer and overall defender for a 6-9, 228 pound forward. It takes a lot of effort to stop the double-double machine. And when the opposition starts paying too much attention to Johnson, Meeks and Jackson will shine. Meeks averaged 10.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on the year and Jackson added 12.3 points and 3.9 rebounds. Depth is not an issue in the frontcourt with Isaiah Hicks and Theo Pinson. Like Jackson, Pinson is a more of a big wing than a true forward, but there is enough size for Coach Roy Williams to be versatile.
Why They Can Disappoint:
North Carolina can have some problems when it comes down to the long ball. Joel Berry II is a decent outside shooter and Nate Britt can knock some down off of the bench, but that’s about it. The team as a whole ranks dead last in the ACC in three-point field goals per game and three-point field-goal percentage. When North Carolina runs into a team that has the ability to contain their interior firepower, they will need to knock down some three-pointers. But in order to beat North Carolina, the opposition needs to hit some threes of their own. And UNC’s three-point defense is pretty bad. Fortunately for North Carolina, there are not too many teams out there that can contain the frontcourt and knock down enough three-pointers.
Probable Starters:
Marcus Paige, Senior, Guard, 12.0 ppg, 3.7 apg
Joel Berry, Sophomore, Guard, 12.3 ppg, 3.6 apg
Justin Jackson, Sophomore, Forward, 12.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.1 apg
Brice Johnson, Senior, Forward, 16.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Kennedy Meeks, Junior, Forward, 10.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Nate Britt, Junior, Guard, 5.9 ppg, 2.1 apg
Isaiah Hicks, Junior, Forward, 9.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Theo Pinson, Sophomore, Forward, 4.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 82.9 (10th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.6 (141, 9)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.6 (29, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.3 (72, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.4 (315, 15)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.0 (307, 15)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.6 (42, 5)
Rebound Margin: 8.6 (11, 1)
Assists Per Game: 18.3 (5, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.0 (34, 6)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NCAA Second Round win over Harvard
2015 NCAA Third Round win over Arkansas
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Wisconsin
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Providence
2014 NCAA Third Round loss to Iowa State
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Villanova
2013 NCAA Third Round loss to Kansas
2012 NCAA Second Round win over Vermont
2012 NCAA Third Round win over Creighton
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Ohio
2012 NCAA Regional Final loss to Kansas
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Long Island
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Washington
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Marquette
2011 NCAA Regional Final loss to Kentucky
2010 NIT First Round win over William & Mary
2010 NIT Second Round win over Mississippi State
2010 NIT Quarterfinal win over UAB
2010 NIT Semifinal win over Rhode Island
2010 NIT Final loss to Dayton
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Radford
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over LSU
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Gonzaga
2009 NCAA Regional Final win over Oklahoma
2009 NCAA National Semifinal win over Villanova
2009 NCAA National Final win over Michigan State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Mount St. Mary's
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Arkansas
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Washington State
2008 NCAA Regional Final win over Louisville
2008 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Kansas
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Eastern Kentucky
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Michigan State
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over USC
2007 NCAA Regional Final loss to Georgetown
*all team stats through 3/6
