North Carolina Basketball: 3 keys for Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA

Despite seemingly constant ridicule over the first three months of his first season as head coach, Hubert Davis has managed to peak North Carolina Basketball at the right time, transforming the trajectory of the Tar Heels’ season.

The turning point for UNC’s 2021-22 campaign came on March 5 in Durham, N.C., when the Tar Heels sent Mike Krzyzewski out with a loss in his final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The grittiness showed in that game proved not just to fans, but to the team itself, that it could make a run in March.

Over the last three weeks, we’ve seen a completely different North Carolina team — a significantly tougher North Carolina team, both mentally and physically. That resolve has now translated into the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 2019.

UNC opened the NCAA Tournament with a historic 32-point win over 9-seed Marquette, setting the NCAA Tournament record for the largest margin of victory in an 8 vs. 9 game. The Tar Heels followed that up with a chaotic win over the defending National Champions in Baylor — a game that saw UNC lead by as many 25 points in the second half before eventually needing overtime to hold on.

Brady Manek scored 28 points against Marquette and 26 against Baylor before being ejected for a flagrant foul in the second half. Contrary to the targeting rule in college football which carries over an ejection into the next game if it takes place in the second half, there is no suspension related to flagrant fouls so Manek will be back against UCLA. The real question is whether he can jump right back into the shooting groove that he’s been in over the last month.

Here are the three main keys for North Carolina as it looks to keep its NCAA Tournament run alive with a Sweet 16 win over UCLA.