UNC Basketball: 3 keys to beat Kansas in 2022 National Championship

UNC Basketball: 3 keys to beat Kansas in 2022 National Championship game

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 02: R.J. Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on in the second half of the game against the Duke Blue Devils during the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal at Caesars Superdome on April 02, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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Leaky Black Caleb Love UNC Basketball (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

1. Stay out of foul trouble

Foul trouble was a major theme in Saturday’s matchup between Duke and North Carolina. Armando Bacot ended up fouling out at the very end of the game, but Duke’s Mark Williams and Theo John were the ones battling foul trouble for most of the game.

That said, we have seen foul trouble cause this UNC team issues at times this season. Hubert Davis rarely substitutes for his starting five, who pretty much play all 40 minutes every game. Puff Johnson has shown an ability to fill in for 5-10 minutes, but Davis still doesn’t go to him voluntarily — his hand is normally forced by foul trouble.

On the flip side, Kansas is a team that loves to drive to the rim. David McCormack had 25 points and nine rebounds against Villanova in the Final Four and is nothing if not physical in the paint. His job on Monday night will likely be to seek that contact in an attempt to get Armando Bacot in early foul trouble, which would be a game-changer at this stage.

UNC has done a nice job of avoiding foul trouble in the NCAA Tournament so far — with the exception of the second half against Baylor — but there’s always the chance we end up talking about untimely fouls on Monday night. This team just doesn’t have the depth to survive that at this stage.

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