Final Four 2017: North Carolina preview

The North Carolina Tar Heels head to Arizona as one of two No. 1 seeds to make it to the Final Four, and will take on No. 3 Oregon on Saturday.

The University of North Carolina Tar Heels are back in the Final Four, just one year removed from a heartbreaking loss in the National Championship Game at the hands of the Villanova Wildcats. This year, the Tar Heels have been the team battling back for victories, escaping losses at the hands of Kentucky and Arkansas on their way to the Final Four. There is still one hurdle remaining before they can punch their ticket back to the title game, and that hurdle is the No. 3 Oregon Ducks.

The Ducks come into their matchup with the Tar Heels fresh off a solid victory in the Elite Eight over Kansas. The Jayhawks were the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, but a tough Oregon defense took away their best player, Josh Jackson. Oregon will have to deal with another star player with the last name Jackson in this one, as Carolina is led by junior forward, Justin Jackson.

In order to get here, the Tar Heels had to navigate arguably the toughest bracket of them all. The South Region was filled with national title contenders, including Kentucky, UCLA, and the always dangerous, Butler Bulldogs. North Carolina was sent to the Final Four by walk-on Luke Maye, who hit a Michael Jordan-esque game-winner with under a second remaining to give the Tar Heels a 75-73 victory.

All of that is in the past, as all four Final Four teams have the talent to cut down the nets in Arizona. North Carolina is the favorite to win it all due to their experience, but as we saw last year, when you get this far, anything can happen. Here is a preview of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels as they head into their matchup with Oregon.

Player to Watch

Justin Jackson, Forward

The North Carolina Tar Heels have the ACC Player of the Year on their roster, and he is going to be the Player to Watch in this one. Jackson posted 19 points in the Tar Heels’ win against Kentucky on Sunday, showing the kind of scoring he has been able to contribute all season for Carolina. Jackson is going to have his hands full with Dillon Brooks guarding him on Saturday night, but he is far too much of a constant scorer to be held down for 40 minutes.

Brooks did a fantastic job against Josh Jackson in the Elite Eight, holding the potential NBA lottery pick to only 10 points in their 74-60 blowout win. The Jackson who plays for North Carolina poses a bit more of a challenge on the offensive end, as he has the ability to knock down the three point shot as well. If North Carolina point guard Joel Berry is healthy for this one, and is finding Jackson in transition, he could go for at least 20 points on Saturday night.

Strengths

You do not go 31-7 without having a team that is loaded with strengths. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of North Carolina is their ability to rebound, especially on the offensive glass. They are going to need to control the boards in this one, as guys like Dillon Brooks and Jordan Bell like to get after it as well. If Carolina is getting offensive rebounds, and in turn second chances, they could dominate in this one.

Another strength of this team is their experience, as they have three juniors, and two seniors in their starting lineup. In the one-and-done culture that is college basketball, head coach Roy Williams has done a nice job bringing in guys who stay a few years on campus. Tony Bradley, their main freshman in the rotation, plays a big role as well, but he has had the luxury of learning from guys like Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks throughout the season.

Weaknesses

The glaring weakness on this team may not even be a factor on Saturday night, as it affects the health of the team’s starting point guard. Joel Berry has been battling an injury during the NCAA Tournament, and rolled that same ankle during the Kentucky game on Sunday. If Berry cannot go, the Tar Heels will be very shorthanded in the backcourt, which could in turn lead to the Oregon Ducks taking advantage of a serious mismatch.

Berry is not expected to practice this week, though he did go through a full rehab on Monday and Tuesday. If he can go, the Tar Heels should be able to push the ball against Oregon, who likes to play at a slower pace than Carolina does. Despite being loaded with talent, the fact is that the Tar Heels struggle mightily when Berry is not on his game, as has been evident in their seven losses this season.

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Biggest Key to Victory over Oregon

Rebound. Rebound. Rebound.

The gameplan is pretty simple for the Tar Heels on Saturday night, and if they can control the glass, they should be able to head to their second consecutive national title game. The Oregon Ducks are still without Chris Boucher, their 6-foot-11 center who can absolutely dominate on the glass. Meeks is coming off a 17-rebound effort against the Wildcats in the Elite Eight, and will need a similar performance if Carolina wants to win this one.

North Carolina gets rebounding help from nearly every player on their roster, especially guys like Tony Bradley and Justin Jackson. They out-rebounded the Wildcats by ten during their victory last weekend, and if they can keep Jordan Bell and Dillon Brooks off the glass on Saturday, they should win that battle again. North Carolina led the nation in rebounding margin by over three boards per game this season, while Oregon finished 49th. Pretty big discrepancy there.