UNC basketball draws familiar name with unfamiliar faces in NCAA Tournament
North Carolina received a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s East region and will face the No. 9 seed Marquette in the first round on Thursday in Fort Worth. The winner could potentially face a second-round showdown with defending national champion Baylor.
But Carolina (24-9) should know from last year’s experience not to peek ahead to a matchup with the Bears. When it did last season as an eighth-seeded team, it got pummeled by No. 9 Wisconsin 85-62 and never faced the eventual national champion.
The tenure of coach Hubert Davis began in earnest last year after the first-round loss to the Badgers when he essentially led the postgame remarks. Former coach Roy Williams was too emotional, as he knew it was his final game as head coach, although he still hadn’t revealed it to anyone.
The Tar Heels finished tied for second in the ACC standings in their first year under Davis. A month ago, they were projected to be a bubble team and possibly a double-digit seed, but the Heels finished the season strong to earn the eighth seed.
“It’s been a great year, and it’s been a long year,” Davis said in a statement. “Some people think Carolina being in the NCAA Tournament is a given, but it isn’t. I am so proud of what these players have done. They’ve earned the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament. Their commitment to each other and our program has earned them that chance to compete.”
Marquette’s personnel looks nothing like the team that won 83-70 in Chapel Hill last season starting with its head coach. Former Duke guard Steve Wojciechowski was forced out at the end of last season. Greg Elliott is the only Golden Eagle player from that game who is still on the roster.
Carolina’s different too, which is why Davis is looking forward to the experience of playing a tournament that will feel closer to normal. There won’t be limited capacities and it’s not confined to one state like it had to be done last year due to the pandemic.
“Even though we played in the NCAA Tournament last year, everything was just different with Covid,” Davis said. “...Now, everyone other than Leaky, who was a freshman when we played in the Sweet 16, will get to experience a real NCAA Tournament. I’m just really excited about that opportunity for them.”
The Heels enjoy a 4-2 all-time series record but are 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament. Carolina beat Marquette in the 2011 Sweet 16; the Golden Eagles’ victory came in the 1977 national championship game.
Here’s a look at the matchup, scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. tipoff and will be broadcast by TBS:
Common ground
Carolina and Marquette did not have any common opponents this season, but Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart is familiar with the Heels’ personnel. He coached Texas to a 69-67 win over UNC last season in the Maui Invitational title game.
Smart coached against UNC’s Brady Manek for four years while he played for the Longhorns’ rival Oklahoma. He also heavily recruited Carolina’s starting backcourt in Caleb Love and R.J. Davis, eventually offering both scholarships to play at Texas.
How Marquette got here?
When Smart left Texas to take over at Marquette, the Golden Eagles’ roster was depleted, which included players like Dawson Garcia, who left for UNC, and Theo John, who left for Duke. Sophomore forward Justin Lewis and Elliott were the Golden Eagles’ lone rotation players on the roster. Needless to say, not much was expected from them in the Big East preseason coaches’ poll. Marquette was picked to finish ninth, just one point ahead of 10th place Georgetown.
Smart changed that narrative early in the season by guiding the Eagles to an upset of then-No. 10 Illinois. Their season highlights included a sweep of conference rival Villanova and they finished the regular season tied with Creighton for fifth in the Big East standings.
What players should UNC focus on?
Lewis, a 6-foot-7 forward, led the team in scoring with a 17.1 average and led the team in rebounding, averaging 7.9 per game. He was also named first-team All-Big East and won the league’s Most Improved Player award.
Darryl Morsell, a 6-5 graduate transfer from Maryland, was second on the team scoring with 13.5 points per game. Like Lewis, Morsell shoots 35 percent from the 3-point line.
The Eagles rely heavily on those two for their scoring production. Lewis and Morsell accounted for 40 percent of all of Marquette’s field-goal attempts. According to Ken Pomeroy, Lewis takes 28.9 percent of the shots when he’s on the floor. Morsell is not far behind him, taking 24.4 percent of the shots when he’s playing.
Don’t be surprised to see UNC’s top defender Leaky Black paired against Morsell to start the game. If Carolina can slow one or both of those players, Marquette could have difficulty scoring.
Who is Carolina’s best bet for a big game?
The Eagles don’t have a post player who can match up with Armando Bacot. The Heels’ junior forward has been dominant his last three games, shooting 10 for 11 at Duke, 5 for 11 against Virginia, and 9 for 10 against Virginia Tech.
Bacot hasn’t just notched 25 double-doubles for no reason. He could be equally effective on the boards. Marquette has had a weakness when it comes to rebounding, as it allows opponents to collect an offensive rebounding percentage of 31.4, according to Ken Pomeroy.
This story was originally published March 13, 2022 at 8:26 PM.