3 Biggest Threats to Upset UNC in March Madness

The Tar Heels should be afraid of these three teams
North Carolina fell to NC State in their last game, giving other teams a blueprint to follow for a potential upset
North Carolina fell to NC State in their last game, giving other teams a blueprint to follow for a potential upset / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
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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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