UNC basketball will have to take on No. 5 seed Auburn up next on Friday. What does UNC need to do to advance to the Elite Eight?
Another year, another Sweet 16 appearance for UNC Basketball head coach Roy Williams. This is his 19th appearance in the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend and the program’s fourth in five seasons. Williams’ club of experienced veterans and surging freshmen will have their toughest test yet, though, in a Friday night battle with the No. 5 seed Auburn Tigers.
It’s fair to say that UNC has been hot through its two games against Iona and Washington, whether its the staggering rebounding numbers (100-50), suffocating defense (opponents are shooting 40.1 FG% and 34.3 3P%), wide scoring margin (UNC is outscoring opponents by an average score of 84.5 to 66), or notable individual performances (Nassir Little‘s 20 points, Luke Maye‘s double-double, Cameron Johnson‘s three-point barrage, etc).
But the Tigers aren’t the Huskies or Gaels. In fact, they are far from it. Bruce Pearl’s squad shouldn’t be dismissed or underestimated. Outside of the first-round scare versus No. 12 seed New Mexico State, the Tigers have been playing as well as anyone in the country, blitzing their last 10 opponents (including five teams from the Tournament field) with a perimeter-oriented offensive attack and a swarming defensive scheme. In their second-round matchup with No. 4 seed Kansas, Auburn led the overmatched Jayhawks by 25 points at the half, with the veteran club causing in the seance half to an impressive 89-75 victory.
This isn’t to say that Auburn is invincible, though. New Mexico State did everything it could to force overtime in the two teams’ meeting in the Round of 64, ultimately falling just short despite the several mental lapses from the Tigers (including poor defense, fouling, bad time management, etc). They’re not infallible, and Roy Williams will have to scheme accordingly, picking apart the weaknesses that the Tigers flash in each and every game.
With that said, what should the No. 1 seed Tar Heels focus on if they want to overcome the Tigers on their way to an Elite Eight appearance?