NCAA Tournament 2022: 5 storylines for Duke vs North Carolina in Final Four

Frontcourt Battle

Anyone who has watched these two teams play knows that the best players on the floor are going to be patrolling the paint. Each team runs their offense through their big man, each team has a big man who can step out and hit threes, they all rebound well protect the rim, and can all pass the ball.

The Tar Heels and Blue Devils each start two big men who each do different things and can dominate a game This is going to be where this game is won and lost. Can the big men get the ball to the guards for open threes, and can they clear the lane for drives to the basket?  The other question will be can they limit the offensive rebounds and start the team in transition?

All of these will be answered on Saturday night. North Carolina big man provided Duke with some bulletin board material when he said Duke center is not a tough cover and it was Banchero who they had to worry about. I don’t disagree that Paolo Banchero is the player who is more efficient and the one who is going to do the bulk of the scoring on offense.

However, Mark Williams, the other center, is a guy who can change a game in a lot of ways. He is unbelievable on defense, an elite rim protector, and a great finisher around the rim. Banchero is going to be the bigger threat because he can hurt you from outside the paint and can shoot threes. Williams camps in the paint and alters every shot and makes everything underneath the basket. Duke is good enough without the extra motivation from the North Carolina center.

Armando Bacot is the big man who provided the quote about the Duke big men and Bacot when teamed up with the other North Carolina big man Brady Manek has been a hard cover in this tournament. Manek does so much to help this offense, he is a great rebounder, great finisher in the post, and is a dead-eye three-point shooter. Manek has a lot of experience playing college basketball as he spent the beginning of his career at Oklahoma.

Bacot is a guy who is a program guy for North Carolina and could have arguably won the ACC Player of the Year this year. He is the focal point of what North Carolina is trying to do on offense and on defense. Bacot is extremely efficient in the paint, a great rebounder on the offensive and defensive end. The one thing that sets Bacot apart is that he is a decent free throw shooter, and he gets fouled a lot.

As mentioned, this is going to be where the game is going to won and lost. North Carolina is a great free throw shooting team, and it all starts with their two big men on offense.