North Carolina has had a few days to recover from the assault and battery type defense Baylor played.
The Tar Heels will face another good defensive team especially in the half court in UCLA.
Head coach Hubert Davis has his team from Chapel Hill on a hot streak. UNC has won 8 of their last 9 highlighted by winning in Durham in Coach K’s last home game.
The Bruins are looking to make another deep run after last season’s heartbreaking loss to Gonzaga in the Final Four.
UCLA finished second in the Pac 12 and Mick Cronin was rewarded with a six year extension right before the NCAA tournament.
Keys:
Board work: North Carolina has been a borderline great rebounding team in the past. This year’s team took a step back but they’re still above average. If Armando Bacot can dominate the boards, it will allow the Tar Heels to get in transition.
Manek-Jaquez: If it wasn’t for Brady Manek’s ejection, the Tar Heels probably beat Baylor comfortably. Manek has been a big reason for the Tar Heels turnaround. He will face one of his toughest challenges if UCLA puts Jaime Jaquez on him. We will see early on if Jaquez is 100% healthy (ankle).
Love ya Blue: Caleb Love’s biggest improvement has been playing under control. Love cannot let the moment be too big for him.
