The North Carolina Tar Heels are one of the two remaining No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament after beating Texas Southern and Arkansas, putting them right at the top of the list of the handful of favorites to win it all. UNC's goal for the weekend is to beat Butler and UCLA/Kentucky to make the Final Four, but successful seasons in Chapel Hill are only measured by championships. So, here are the three things Carolina has to do to win the national title:
3) Take advantage of inside dominance
North Carolina leads the country in rebounding, rebounding rate, offensive rebounding and second chance points. So, when they play to that strength, virtually unbeatable. However, they can be suckered into playing a more perimeter-oriented game and rely on their big men to only get their offense from offensive rebounds instead off from the post. The Heels are the best interior passing team in the country, and when they give the ball to either Kennedy Meeks or Isaiah Hicks in the post, the points come in bunches.
2) Learn how to handle pressure and take care of the ball
Those two things almost caused Carolina to fall apart against Arkansas in the second round. When the Razorbacks started applying their press against the Heels, UNC fell apart. They turned the ball over 10 times in the second half and got completely out of their game offensively. Berry's ankle injury (more on that in a second) played a part in that, but this is something that can't happen again against better competition.
1) Joel Berry II's on-court leadership
Yes, Justin Jackson was ACC Player of the Year, but Joel Berry II is the Heels' most important player. UNC's offense gets off track if Berry has to leave the court for an extended period of time, and his limited production against Arkansas due to that ankle injury almost caused Carolina to fall victim to an unlikely upset. If he is on his game, North Carolina becomes the best team in the country. If he's off, they're vulnerable.
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