NCAA Basketball: Ranking the Sweet 16 teams in 2022 NCAA Tournament
By Joey Loose
12. North Carolina (#8 seed)
Just over two weeks ago, this North Carolina team spoiled Coach K’s final home game at Duke, securing an unexpected double-digit win over the Blue Devils. This is the Tar Heels team that has shown up through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. It hasn’t been pretty, but the Tar Heels that got blown out by Kentucky and Miami two months ago might just be a thing of the past.
In their first-round game, North Carolina really took care of business, taking it to 9-seed Marquette in a 95-63 shellacking, getting 28 points from Brady Manek and 23 points from Caleb Love, their two biggest pieces, in the win. Two days later, they survived one of the craziest games of the NCAA Tournament, holding on for a 93-86 overtime win over 1-seed Baylor, even after blowing a 25-point lead and seeing Manek and Love both taken out of the game. RJ Davis put up 30 points and the Tar Heels needed every bit of offense with those two studs out down the stretch.
Blowing that 25-point lead is clearly a cause for legitimate concern, but the fact that North Carolina could build such an advantage over the defending champions can’t be ignored. The Tar Heels offense has clearly been stealing the show, but that defense is the reason they are in the Sweet Sixteen, turning in two of their best performances at the most important time. If they can manage to keep Manek away from questionable flagrant fouls, they have a powerful team that could give UCLA fits in the next round.