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Game of the Night

North Carolina (20-12) vs #13 Virginia (23-6)

Location: Greensboro Coliseum - Greensboro, North Carolina

Tip-Off: 7:00 PM EST

Line: Virginia -2 | O/U = 129.5

Tale of the Tape

North Carolina | Virginia

• FGA - 60.7 pg | 53.6 pg

• FG% - 43.2% | 45.0%

• % FGA in Paint - 34.2% | 37.6%

• 2P% - 50.5% | 50.2%

• 3P% - 30.9% | 35.9%

• FTA - 22.9 pg | 18.5 pg

• FT% - 74.3% | 70.0%

• EFG% - 49.4% | 51.5%

• DReb% - 76.5% | 75.0%

• OReb% - 30.5% | 25.8%

• TO's - 10.9 pg | 8.6 pg

• Fouls - 17.0 pg | 14.0 pg

• Adj Off Eff - 112.6 (58) | 111.4 (73)

• Adj Def Eff - 97.5 (43) | 95.9 (31)

• PPG - 76.5 | 68.2

• PAG - 71.3 | 60.5

Overview

• This may not be the biggest "Blockbuster" matchup of the day, but I believe this one has the potential to be one of the best games of the ENTIRE weekend!! North Carolina, who came into this season ranked #1 in the polls, knows its chances of making the NCAA Tournament are basically on life support. Anything short of "Cutting the Nets Down" in Greensboro, will most likely send the Tar Heels to the NIT. That magical run to the Title Game last season feels like a lifetime ago, but Head Coach Hubert Davis and his guy's have been here before and they ALWAYS go down swinging! Virginia, on the other hand, is sitting firmly in the field of 68, and only have to wonder about what # will show up beside their name on "Selection Sunday". However, they have to have somewhat of a bitter taste in their mouth, after splitting the regular season championship with Miami (Miami received #1 seed due to head-to-head victory over Virginia in teams only meeting this season). The Cavaliers lost two games in late February, at Boston College (63-48) and at Carolina (71-63), that allowed the Hurricanes to climb back into contention for the regular season crown. Head Coach Tony Bennett's squad, at least salvaged a share of the hardware, closing out the regular season with victories over Clemson (64-57) and Louisville (75-60). It should be a very exciting matchup tonight inside Greensboro Coliseum, with two VERY motivated teams taking the court!!

Match-Up

• As previously mentioned, North Carolina came into this season with as high of expectations as ANYONE in the country. With almost every player returning from the team that made a run to last season's National Championship Game, it seemed life was good in Chapel Hill entering the 2022-23 campaign. However, the Tar Heels have vastly underperformed those preseason aspirations, and find themselves on the outside of the "Bubble" coming into "Championship Week". HC Hubert Davis, has as much talent and experience as ANYONE in the country in terms of his "Starting 5". Carolina has five guy's that average playing 30+ minutes a game. Senior's Armando Bacot (16.3 ppg , 10.7 rpg , 1.1 bpg) and Pete Nance (10.1 ppg , 5.9 rpg , 1.1 bpg) are FORCES in the paint, but both have dealt with some nagging injuries of late, especially Bacot. Fellow Senior Leaky Black (7.3 ppg , 6.4 rpg , 1.3 spg) is the ultimate "Utility" guy, and can take over a game on both ends of the floor. Coach Davis' starting back-court is rivaled by few in College Basketball. Junior Guard's Caleb Love (16.8 ppg , 2.8 apg , 1.1 spg) and R.J. Davis (15.9 ppg , 5.1 rpg , 3.3 apg , 1.1 spg) are the glue that holds this Tar Heel's squad together. When these two dudes are on the same page, and playing off of each other, Carolina can play with anyone. However, IF one of the two struggles, it's usually reflected in the W/L column. As good as the top 5 guy's are in this bunch, UNC has really struggled to get much production at all from their bench. Junior Forward Puff Johnson (4.1 ppg , 2.6 rpg) averages nearly 16 minutes a game off the bench, and provides the majority of that production. After those 6 guy's, it's pretty "Slim Pickin's" for Coach Davis in terms of productivity. If any of these STUDS come out of a game for any reason, this team takes a MAJOR step back!!

• Virginia has, quietly, been a Top-15 team basically all season. They would be the #1 seed in the ACC Tourney, if not for a couple late-season setbacks that forced them to share the regular season title with Miami. The Cavalier's were forced to settle for the #2 seed, but still come into this one winners of 6 of their last 8 contests. Coach Tony Bennett doesn't have a pure "Superstar" throughout his entire squad, but has several "Role Players" who run his system to perfection. Bennett's teams have always been heralded for their defense and overall efficiency in that area, however, lack of production on the offensive end has plagued his teams in the past(cough cough... UMBC). Much like the Tar Heels, Virginia is a very veteran-laden group. Senior's Armaan Franklin (12.6 ppg , 4.2 rpg , 38.7 3P%) and Jayden Gardner (11.8 ppg , 5.5 rpg), lead the Cavalier's in scoring and are the proven leaders in this bunch. Fellow Senior Kihei Clark (11.1 ppg , 5.7 apg , 1.1 spg) has played A LOT of basketball for HC Bennett, and has earned the right as his trusted "Floor General". Junior Guard Reece Beekman (9.3 ppg , 5.3 apg , 1.6 spg) is another KEY piece, and he shoots 38.2% from long-range. Virginia has a more experienced bench than Carolina, and have 7 to 8 different guy's that they can get some production from on any given night. The Cavalier's have the defensive scheme and personnel to give any offense trouble. However, if they run into a team having a strong shooting night, they may not have the offensive firepower to win a shootout.

Prediction

• These two squads split their regular season meetings against each other. North Carolina won a few weeks ago in Chapel Hill (71-63), and Virginia got the victory in Charlottesville (65-58) earlier this season. In the first matchup, Tar Heel's Star Armando Bacot twisted his ankle in the opening minute and didn't return. His absence was very noticeable. Bacot also twisted his ankle on Wednesday in the Heel's 2nd round game against Boston College, and only played 5:33 in the 2nd Half of that contest. His status is definitely worth monitoring, but this dude is a WARRIOR and I'd be very surprised if he wasn't on the court Thursday Night. I like this Virginia team, but their lack of offensive efficiency really bothers me. Carolina has really struggled, at times, shooting the ball from deep this year, but have had nights where they've caught fire. If you love high-flying offenses... This probably isn't the game for you. BUT.... If you love hard-nosed, grind-it-out, do the "little things right" type of Hoops.. You better not miss this one. I think the Tar Heels dial it in from deep tonight, and put together a solid-enough shooting performance to get the job done. It's gonna be a battle back-and-forth ALL night, but in the end Coach Hubert Davis and his Boy's just won't die!! Pete Nance makes a couple CLUTCH free throws late to seal the deal in this one, and the Tar Heels live to play another day!!

My Pick: North Carolina +2

Final Score: North Carolina 68 Virginia 65

• In this next section, I'll give you guy's my picks for what I like to call the "Big 6" (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Pac 12, SEC) Conferences, and how I see those Tourney's playing out the rest of the way. This is more for "Entertainment" purposes so feel free to comment or even post your own picks in the comments.... ALWAYS love getting y'alls feedback!!

ACC

Quarterfinals:

• #1 Miami FL vs #9 Wake Forest

My Pick: Miami FL

• #4 Duke vs #5 Pittsburgh

My Pick: Duke

• #2 Virginia vs #7 North Carolina

My Pick: North Carolina

• #3 Clemson vs #6 NC State

My Pick: NC State

Semi-Finals:

• #1 Miami FL vs #4 Duke

My Pick: Miami FL

• #6 NC State vs #7 North Carolina

My Pick: North Carolina

Finals:

• #1 Miami FL vs #7 North Carolina

My Pick: ACC Champion = Miami FL

Big East

Quarterfinals:

• #1 Marquette vs #8 St John's

My Pick: Marquette

• #4 UConn vs #5 Providence

My Pick: UConn

• #2 Xavier vs #10 Depaul

My Pick: Xavier

• #3 Creighton vs #6 Villanova

My Pick: Creighton

Semi-Finals:

• #1 Marquette vs #4 UConn

My Pick: UConn

• #2 Xavier vs #3 Creighton

My Pick: Creighton

Finals:

• #3 Creighton vs #4 UConn

My Pick: Big East Champion = UConn

Big 10

2nd Round:

• #9 Rutgers vs #8 Michigan

My Pick: Rutgers

• #13 Ohio State vs #5 Iowa

My Pick: Iowa

• #10 Penn State vs #7 Illinois

My Pick: Penn State

• #14 Minnesota vs #6 Maryland

My Pick: Maryland

Quarterfinals:

• #9 Rutgers vs #1 Purdue

My Pick: Rutgers

• #4 Michigan State vs #5 Iowa

My Pick: Iowa

• #10 Penn State vs #2 Northwestern

My Pick: Penn State

• #3 Indiana vs #6 Maryland

My Pick: Indiana

Semi-Finals:

• #5 Iowa vs #9 Rutgers

My Pick: Iowa

• #3 Indiana vs #10 Penn State

My Pick: Penn State

Finals:

• #5 Iowa vs #10 Penn State

My Pick: Big 10 Champion = Iowa

Big 12

Quarterfinals:

• #4 Baylor vs #5 Iowa State

My Pick: Baylor

• #1 Kansas vs #8 West Virginia

My Pick: Kansas

• #2 Texas vs #7 Oklahoma State

My Pick: Texas

• #3 Kansas State vs #6 TCU

My Pick: TCU

Semi-Finals:

• #4 Baylor vs #1 Kansas

My Pick: Kansas

• #2 Texas vs #6 TCU

My Pick: Texas

Finals:

• #1 Kansas vs #2 Texas

My Pick: Big 12 Champion = Texas

Pac 12

Quarterfinals:

• #9 Colorado vs #1 UCLA

My Pick: UCLA

• #4 Oregon vs #5 Washington State

My Pick: Oregon

• #2 Arizona vs #10 Stanford

My Pick: Arizona

• #3 USC vs #6 Arizona State

My Pick: Arizona State

Semi-Finals:

• #1 UCLA vs #4 Oregon

My Pick: UCLA

• #2 Arizona vs #6 Arizona State

My Pick: Arizona

Finals:

• #1 UCLA vs #2 Arizona

My Pick: Pac 12 Champion = Arizona

SEC

2nd Round:

• #8 Florida vs #9 Mississippi State

My Pick: Mississippi State

• #5 Tennessee vs #13 Ole Miss

My Pick: Tennessee

• #7 Auburn vs #10 Arkansas

My Pick: Auburn

• #6 Vanderbilt vs #14 LSU

My Pick: LSU

Quarterfinals:

• #1 Alabama vs #9 Mississippi State

My Pick: Alabama

• #4 Missouri vs #5 Tennessee

My Pick: Tennessee

• #2 Texas A&M vs #7 Auburn

My Pick: Auburn

• #3 Kentucky vs #14 LSU

My Pick: Kentucky

Semi-Finals:

• #1 Alabama vs #5 Tennessee

My Pick: Alabama

• #3 Kentucky vs #7 Auburn

My Pick: Kentucky

Finals:

• #1 Alabama vs #3 Kentucky

My Pick: SEC Champion = Kentucky

Enjoy the MADNESS and Good Luck!!!!

-Crickett