3 Burning Questions for UNC Tar Heels vs. Alabama in Sweet 16
Positive answers to these questions will likely result in a Tar Heels win
By Joe Summers
The No. 1 UNC Tar Heels take on the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, March 28, at 9:39 PM ET, hoping to build off a pair of stellar performances thus far in the NCAA Tournament.
UNC is favored in the game for good reason, though the Crimson Tide have one of the nation's best offenses capable of dropping 100 points in a blur.
We'll need to see the Tar Heels' best effort tonight to get the victory. With that in mind, let's look at three burning questions that'll help decide this March Madness matchup.
3 Burning Questions for UNC vs. Alabama
1. Can RJ Davis Take Advantage of Alabama's Poor Perimeter Defense?
I expect a massive performance from RJ Davis today, as he's facing what might be the worst defense left in the entire tournament field. He's got 20+ points in four straight games and a strong start could help put this game away early.
The Crimson Tide rank 111th in defensive effective field goal percentage (49.4%), 278th in defensive turnover percentage (15.6%) and 326th in defensive foul rate (40.2%). Essentially, they're terrible at applying pressure to ball handlers and lack much size in the paint to discourage drives. That fits right into Davis' hands, who should probe and kick the ball out to open shooters while frequently getting to the charity stripe.
RJ Davis went for 25 points to help lead UNC to the ACC Championship game 🥶@UNC_Basketball @ariidavis_ pic.twitter.com/vOX2gwsmw5
— SLAM University (@slam_university) March 16, 2024
Alabama's defense was admittedly impressive in the second round, holding Grand Canyon to 32.1% shooting with 14 turnovers. UNC can't let the Crimson Tide get comfortable defensively, especially given the size advantage the Tar Heels possess.
The reigning ACC Player of the Year should be ready to dominate and I think we'll see an excellent effort out of the Tar Heels' leader.
Given the Crimson Tide play at one of the fastest paces in the nation, Davis will have plenty of chances in transition to get his points. If he reaches 25 or even 30, the UNC should roll.
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