The Washington basketball squad looked terrific in its win over Utah State, and now the Huskies are set to square off with top-seeded North Carolina.
TV schedule: Sunday, March 24, 2:40 pm ET. CBS.
Arena: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The Washington basketball team got an inaugural Big Dance victory under its belt, an impressive 17-point triumph against No. 8 seed Utah State on Friday night in the round of 64 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. That result for the ninth-seeded Huskies, in which Washington shot proficiently and suffocated the Aggies in its zone defense, propelled the Huskies into the round of 32, where they will do battle with the Midwest Region’s No. 1 seed, North Carolina, on Sunday afternoon.
The Tar Heels (28-6), one of three Atlantic Coast Conference schools to obtain a top seed in March Madness, didn’t fare well in the first half of their opening-round match-up versus No. 16 seed Iona on Friday evening, as the Gaels caught fire from the field and owned a five-point edge at intermission. However, in the second stanza, North Carolina rapidly erased that deficit and ultimately cruised to an 88-73 achievement.
Washington (27-8) is a massive underdog in this duel, with odds-makers in Las Vegas currently anointing the Tar Heels as an 11.5-point favorite. According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, North Carolina has a 90.7 percent chance to prevail. Still, when the NCAA tourney rolls around, any crew can succeed, or go home if its foe gets hot. Prior to the Big Dance commencing, the Tar Heels had a NCAA NET rating of No. 7, as compared to No. 45 for the Huskies.
North Carolina poses a bevy of concerns for Washington. First and foremost, the Tar Heels are one of the premier rebounding groups across the country. The Huskies, conversely, often struggle on the glass, due to the zone defense that they utilize. If North Carolina secures an abundance of offensive boards that create second-chance points, the Tar Heels are going to handle Washington.
Similar to Utah State, North Carolina is a nightmare to face on offense, averaging 86.1 points per contest, while connecting on 46.4 percent from the field, 74.2 percent from the charity stripe, and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Huskies must slow down the Tar Heels by forcing North Carolina into a sizable amount of miscues, clogging the paint area, rebounding at a stellar clip, and hoping that the Tar Heels, like the Iona encounter, miss a ton of attempts from long range.
Washington also needs to keep up the pace with North Carolina in the scoring department, which is a daunting task. In the end, my gut tells me that the Tar Heels will overwhelm the Huskies, with North Carolina advancing to the Sweet 16.
Prediction: North Carolina 82 – Washington 71