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NCAA Tournament: UNC, Kentucky, Houston, and Auburn remain in Midwest Region

By TJ Miller

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Jared Harper #1 of the Auburn Tigers reacts to a play against the Kansas Jayhawks during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Jared Harper #1 of the Auburn Tigers reacts to a play against the Kansas Jayhawks during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 24: The North Carolina Tar Heels reacts to a play against the Washington Huskies during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 24: The North Carolina Tar Heels reacts to a play against the Washington Huskies during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Predictions

(1) North Carolina vs. (5) Auburn – Friday, March 29…7:29 pm ET

I already mentioned this one should be a great deal of fun. So who wins? Let’s look at North Carolina’s 6 losses. Besides dropping an early season game to Texas, the other five losses – Michigan, Kentucky, Louisville, Virginia, and Duke – were to teams ranked in the top 25 of KenPom defensive efficiency. Auburn is a pretty decent defensive team but not amazing, ranked 45th in Adj-D. Although I don’t look at this as being a death sentence for the Tigers, I think Auburn needs to shoot very well to pull off this upset. The good news is Bryce Brown and Jared Harper have the ability to fill it up from the outside in a hurry. Now, they have to prove they can do it against at team like North Carolina.

Prediction: North Carolina

(2) Kentucky vs. (3) Houston – Friday, March 29…9:59 pm ET

These two teams have a lot of similarities. Both pride themselves on winning games on the defensive end, and each squad has multiple players capable of having breakout games. And while Kentucky comes into the game as the slight favorite, I actually think Houston will come away winning this one. Kentucky struggled offensively vs. Wofford, but they did get to the free throw line a ton. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Houston has shown an ability to play excellent defense without fouling. Obviously much depends on the status of PJ Washington and though I may be wrong, I think Houston wins this game either way.

Prediction: Houston

(1) North Carolina vs. (3) Houston – Sunday, March 31…TBD

This regional finals would be the first matchup of contrasting styles in KC. As mentioned above, the Tar Heels losses have been against teams that play excellent defense, like Houston. While the Cougars haven’t played an opponent quite like UNC, they did beat LSU earlier this season who compare somewhat closely to North Carolina. So the matchup isn’t too bad for Houston, but I’ll take the talent of North Carolina and the track record of Roy Williams.

Next. Ranking the Sweet 16 teams. dark

Roy has figured out the questions regarding lineups and playing time and this team is on a mission. Luke Maye continues to do his thing and the depth around him ensures teams can’t pay him too much attention. Look for a close game if this matchup happens, but the Tar Heels are my pick to advance out of the Midwest.

Prediction: North Carolina

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