For North Carolina
BY THE NUMBERS
North Carolina season stats (with NCAA rank):
Scoring offense:
83.0 (10)
Scoring defense:
69.9 (122)
Scoring margin:
13.1 (10) Rebounding margin: 8.4 (12)
Field goal %: 48.2
(16)
Three-point %: 32.1
(284) Three-pointers made: 209 (227) Free throw %: 74.7
(26) Assist-to-turnover ratio: 1.66 (3)
North Carolina comes roaring into its first Final Four since 2009. The Tar Heels haven’t lost since Feb. 27 and have won nine in a row by an average of almost 14 points per game. None of those games has been closer than four points.
North Carolina’s offense appears unstoppable — it is KenPom’s No. 1 team in adjusted efficiency — and is averaging 89.2 points per game in the tournament. The only weak area during the season was three-point shooting, but the Tar Heels hit 15 of 33 from deep in winning the East Region.
Senior forward Brice Johnson has caused his coach, Roy Williams, consternation with uneven play during his career but has been at his best during this run. He’s had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in three consecutive games. He’s been a rim-front presence, too, blocking 15 shots in this tournament.
His roommate, fellow senior Marcus Paige, has been the consummate guard. His 3.1-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best in school history. He hasn’t been as good this year from three-point range— 34.5% compared with 39.5% as a junior — but he is 8-for-15 over his last two games.
Justin Jackson might be the team’s most talented player, and Kennedy Meeks is its most rugged. No frontcourt in Houston can compare to North Carolina’s.
The Tar Heels beat Syracuse, their Saturday opponent, twice already. They share the ball well — four players have at least 100 assists this season for only the second time in program history — and don’t need to hit threes to win. Being able to work the ball inside and not defaulting to deep shots mitigates the effectiveness of the Orange’s zone defense.
More ornery than usual, Williams is in his eighth Final Four with a deep, veteran team well-crafted to battle through the sort of grueling and often-sloppy games this tournament and football stadiums masquerading as basketball arenas create. The Tar Heels dominate on the offensive glass and don’t get into foul trouble. That’s a combination that could get Williams his third national championship.