North Carolina vs. Wisconsin: 3 ways Tar Heels can upset Badgers
North Carolina faces an uphill battle against the top-seeded Wisconsin Badgers tonight, but all hope is not lost for the Tar Heels.
One of the all-time great NCAA basketball programs has found itself in a strange position tonight, as the North Carolina Tar Heels play the underdog role in a Sweet Sixteen matchup with the No.1 seed Wisconsin Badgers.
The Badgers enter the game riding high, winning 18 of their past 19 games. During this stretch, senior forward Frank Kaminsky has emerged as arguably the best player in the country. A tremendous ability to attack the basket, an array of dazzling post moves and an impressive shooting range that keeps defenders honest at all times has played a huge role in Wisconsin’s run to a No. 1 seed and another Sweet Sixteen appearance.
North Carolina will have their hands full tonight, no doubt. Kennedy Meeks, the Tar Heels best hope for slowing down Kaminsky, is still ailing from a sprained knee suffered during their win over Arkansas. If Meeks cannot go tonight, North Carolina will have to win with offensive firepower, not the most ideal strategy against a Wisconsin team that is very proficient from behind the 3-point line.
Marcus Paige appears to be the perfect candidate to provide such offense if-needed, as the junior point guard is fresh off a 20-point second half performance that saved the Tar Heels from an early-round exit last weekend.
1) Contain Frank Kaminsky
Finding a way to slow down Wisconsin’s 7-foot star forward will be by far the toughest task for Roy Williams’ squad tonight. Kaminsky has been nominated for numerous player of the year awards, and rightfully so. I say slow down, because I do not see anybody on the Tar Heels capable of stopping the Big 10 Player of the Year.
“Few players can keep up with Kaminsky on their own because he moves so well and can finish around the basket,” Adam Rittenberg of ESPN’s Big 10 Blog said. “He can also stretch defenses with his perimeter shooting.”
It will take a team effort, but North Carolina is definitely capable. After all, they have been facing elite big-men all season, Jahlil Okafor of Duke and Bobby Portis of Arkansas just to name a few.
2) Kennedy Meeks must be able to go
When discussing how to stop Kaminsky, all questions point to the health of North Carolina’s Kennedy Meeks.
UNC's Roy Williams says Kennedy Meeks (knee) will be a gametime decision; Meeks tells me he thinks by tomorrow he'll feel well enough to go
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) March 25, 2015
Meeks, the Tar Heels anchor inside, may be three inches shorter than the Wisconsin center, but he what he lacks in height he makes up for in strength. Meeks has 41 pounds on Kaminsky, an advantage that North Carolina will desperately need inside if they hope to contain the versatile center.
3) Do not let Wisconsin’s shooters get hot
The Badgers have six players shooting 31.4% or better from behind the 3-point line, and if a handful of them catch fire tonight, North Carolina could be in big trouble. Kaminsky is a solid 3-point shooter, and if he connects on a few triples early on, the Tar Heels defense will be forced to focus extra attention on Wisconsin’s Wooden Award finalist. If this happens, expect it to be raining threes in the Staples Center tonight in the Badgers favor.
Rittenberg said, “You can’t constantly double-team him because of his superb passing skills and Wisconsin’s ability to shoot the 3.”
As with everything for the Tar Heels tonight, all keys to a victory surround their ability to limit the damage the talented Kaminsky can do. If North Carolina can disrupt his play, expect the rest of the Badgers to falter, especially behind the line. The less energy the Tar Heels expend of Kaminsky, the more they can spend shutting down Wisconsin’s other five sharpshooters.
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