North Carolina Tar Heels: Tips to Reach Final Four
The North Carolina Tar Heels start their NCAA tournament campaign today against the Crimson of Harvard. The Tar Heels finished their season well enough to get a fourth seed in the West Region. The Tar Heels are playing in that great western city of Jacksonville, FL today.
When the teams were announced on Selection Sunday the Vegas odds makers released their odds at that moment. Kentucky was first at 11-10 odds. Then came the other one and two seeds. Behind those two seeds, the team that was considered to have next best chance were the Tar Heels at 25-1.
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So what would it take to get the Tar Heels to the Final Four in the West Region? Let’s pretend that it is April and the Tar Heels have made the Final Four. What would that look like? Here some things that would have to happen for North Carolina to be a Final Four team.
1. Kennedy Meeks gets healthy
Meeks just has not been the same since his illness, whatever it is. Teams have noticed too, and they are putting less defensive focus inside. Meeks has also had trouble getting and maintaining rebound position, which seems impossible for a guy his size. When Meeks is going full bore, it adds an additional element for teams to figure out. They don’t have to do that right now.
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We saw in the ACC Tournament that freshmen Joel Berry and Justin Jackson were looking to take threes if they were available. Jackson even torched Louisville from beyond the arc. However there needs to be more consistency. If North Carolina makes the Final Four, it will be because they shot well enough to stay out of trouble.
3. Minding the Fs and Ts and the FTs
No team will go very far in the NCAA Tournament if they can’t shoot free throws. What’s worse is to not shoot free throws and give the other team plenty of free throws on their end. North Carolina needs to play better defense without fouling.
Basically the Heels need to limit their mistakes. That includes turnovers. The Heels have to prevent the number of chances any opposition gets. That means keeping the ball and snagging the rebounds. Early North Carolina did a good job of limiting second chance points to Notre Dame, but that unraveled in the second half.
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4. They avoid Wisconsin
Wisconsin is the number 1 seed in the West and plays the kind of basketball that has given the Heels trouble this year. Wisconsin is just a better version of Notre Dame or Virginia. The Badgers even have a weapon that nether the Irish or Cavaliers have, a big shooting power forward. The Heels struggle in half court duels, and it will be even harder if Kaminsky can drag Brice Johnson away from the paint. Better for the Heels if OK State or Oregon knocks them off.