Entering the NCAA Tournament, you could be forgiven for assuming the North Carolina men’s basketball team wouldn’t be here. But here they are: preparing for a trip to Philadelphia, two wins away from earning the program its first Final Four berth since 2017.
After UNC held off a comeback from No. 1 seed Baylor on Saturday and No. 2 seed Kentucky fell to St. Peter’s in the opening round, the Tar Heels have a legitimate chance to represent the East Region in the Final Four.
But, as last weekend’s results showed, nothing is a given in March.
The first step is a bout on Friday with fellow blue-blood and No. 4 seed UCLA — a team UNC was slated to face in December before the game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols in the Bruins’ program.
Here are three factors the Tar Heels need to defeat UCLA and earn a trip to the Elite Eight.
Guards stepping up
In a first-round win over Marquette, it was sophomore Caleb Love — who finished with 23 points and knocked down 6-13 from beyond the arc. Against Baylor, it was fellow sophomore RJ Davis — who played all 45 minutes of the contest, knocked down 30 points and led the Tar Heels offense after Love fouled out.
For North Carolina to control the game on Friday, one of these two will need to step up. Production from junior big Armando Bacot — if he isn’t in foul trouble — has been a given this year. The difference between North Carolina’s best and worst outcomes this season has come from its guard play.
Both Love and Davis have made improvements in efficiency toward the end of the season. If the tournament run is going to continue, one of them has to be an X-factor in Philadelphia.