Why North Carolina Will Win The Championship
Breaking down why the North Carolina Tar Heels can and will win the championship.
Breaking down why the North Carolina Tar Heels can and will win the championship.
North Carolina will win the championship if …
The Tar Heels are the best team still standing and have not been seriously tested in the tournament. They’ve done it by being incredibly sound offensively.
Everything starts with the frontcourt and senior All-American Brice Johnson, who has averaged 21.0 points and 9.8 rebounds in the Tar Heels’ four games. Given that 6-foot-10 Kennedy Meeks and 6-foot-8 Justin Jackson are playing aside him, it’s easy to understand why North Carolina doesn’t come up short in many battles of the boards.
Then there is senior Marcus Paige, who has come on strong in postseason play. Not only has he scored in double figures in all four contests, but he’s committed only four turnovers in a combined 122 minutes of action. North Carolina isn’t normally compelled to take a lot of outside shots. Rather, they move in a bit closer and take smart ones. Roughly three-quarters of their attempts come from inside of the arc, perhaps in part because the team shot just 32.1 percent from 3-point range in the regular season.
Of the teams still standing, no one is poised to win a national championship like North Carolina. On paper, they’ve got the easiest path to the final. If the Tar Heels get past Syracuse as expected, look no further than the seniors, Johnson and Paige, to step up and get the job done on Monday.
