PHILADELPHIA — While much talk has been made of fifth-seeded Indiana's perimeter play ahead of its Sweet 16 matchup against the top-seeded North Carolina men's basketball team, there's one key area where the Tar Heels could have a sizable advantage.
Quite literally so, as UNC's starting frontcourt is 1.3 inches taller, on average, than the starting frontcourt of Indiana. While that might not seem like a big difference on paper — or a computer screen — it's part of the reason why the Tar Heels have rebounded 39.9 percent of their missed field goals — the fourth-best mark in the nation.
"Their offensive rebounding is astounding," said Indiana coach Tom Crean after Thursday's practice in the Wells Fargo Center. "It's not just the offensive rebounding in the court, it's offensive rebounding in transition. Everybody has to not only get back and stop the ball, be protective of the rim and the shot, but you have to get back and find a man that blocks out."
That's not to say the Hoosiers are slouches when it comes to getting on the boards. They're not too far behind UNC's offensive rebounding percentage — 37.1 percent, good for 15th in the country — but Indiana's big men play a different game than UNC's.
"Their front line, it's kind of a four-guard, one-big lineup for them," said senior forward Brice Johnson, who's 28.6 defensive rebounding percentage is the 13th-best individual mark in the country. "They do have some good size ... but at the same time, you've got to remember those guys still have the guard-like mentality.
"For myself, I have to be able to step out on the court and be able to guard those guys. But on the other end I have to be able to impose my will and be able to do what I need to do in the post."
The Hoosiers are one of the best teams left in the NCAA Tournament at spacing the floor, thanks to a team 3-point percentage of 41.6 percent. That mark, the fifth-best in the country, could create some problems for UNC on the defensive end when bigs like Johnson and juniors Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks will have to defend further from the paint than they normally would.
But if the Tar Heels can disrupt Indiana's 3-point game, and turn around and impose their size, strength and experience on the offensive end, they might find a lot of success, with their biggest obstacle being 6-foot-10 first-year Thomas Bryant.
"He does kind of look a little weird out there sometimes," said Johnson, as senior point guard Marcus Paige sighed to his right. "Just being honest. Just watching him on film, it's not the norm, but I mean he's a really good player. You just have to challenge him to his weaknesses and not let him get to his strengths."
