3 Biggest Threats to Upset UNC in March Madness
By Joe Summers
3. No. 4 Alabama
Stylistically, Alabama is the exact opposite of both Saint Mary's and Michigan State, but they're equally scary. Despite their poor defense, the Crimson Tide's offense is terrifying.
When you're a team who experiences offensive droughts like the Tar Heels, facing an opponent who can catch fire spells potential doom. Alabama has KenPom's second-best offense, ranking 11th in effective field goal percentage (56.3%) compared to North Carolina at 142nd (51.3%).
The Crimson Tide are deadly inside with the 10th-best two-point shooting percentage (57.6%), though they take 46.8% of their shots from three-point range (18th-most) while making them at a 36.5% clip (33rd). If Alabama has a good shooting night, the Tar Heels may not have the legs to keep up.
With the 26th-best offensive rebounding percentage (34.9%), the Tide give themselves extra opportunities to drill those deep shots too.
Led by Mark Sears (21.1 PPG), four different rotational players shoot over 40% from beyond the arc. There's no guarantee that the Crimson Tide make it to the Sweet 16 but if they do, they'll have a pair of wins under their belts and will feel like they can take down the No. 1 seed.
No matter who the Tar Heels face in that third round, it'll be a tough matchup no matter what.
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