UNC Basketball: 3 keys to beating Duke in Final Four matchup

STOP Duke’s Frontcourt

Paolo Banchero and Mark Williams have quietly emerged as the best frontcourt in all of college basketball. That being said they must be stopped. Banchero at the end of the day is the freshman, even though he’s a presumed top-3 pick in the upcoming 2022 draft there can be some form of immaturity being it’s his first time on that stage. Williams is fairly young too, he was on the Duke team that did not make the tournament last year.

On the other hand, Bacot has done his time at UNC and Manek was at Oklahoma playing against the Big 12 [which is arguably a better conference]. Coach Davis can throw defensive-minded wing Leaky Black on Banchero, knowing Black will make it uncomfortable for Banchero to get going.

Limiting the 1-2 inside game Banchero and Williams have gotten going over the course of the latter part of the season is key. Banchero’s playmaking from inside the arc is underrated. Williams is a lob threat himself. North Carolina players have to play hard as they can on that end to disrupt any potential inside game.

Limiting Banchero and Williams from also running in transition for easy buckets is also key, do not let them get in a groove. Defensively it will be a tough task but it is very manageable. Frontcourt defense will be a key factor in the reason North Carolina wins or loses.