NCAA Tournament Sweet 16: 5 strongest national title contenders

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Coby White #2 and Nassir Little #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels share a laugh as they take on the Iona Gaels during the second half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 24: The North Carolina Tar Heels reacts to a play against the Washington Huskies during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

2. North Carolina

The Tar Heels may not have started hot in their first two games, but they sure know how to finish. North Carolina trailed 16-seed Iona at the half but outscored the Gaels by 20 after the break to comfortably get out of the first round.

Things were a bit simpler in North Carolina’s second round matchup against Washington, with the Tar Heels entering the locker room up eight on the Huskies. North Carolina ran away and hid again in the second half, burying the Huskies to earn their spot in Kansas City.

Of all the top seeds in this round, North Carolina may have the trickiest road to get through the regional to get to the Final Four. First up is a date with an Auburn team that shot Kansas out of the gym in the first 10 minutes on Saturday, and if the Tar Heels get by them a potential showdown with Kentucky awaits.

North Carolina hasn’t played a true white knuckler yet, but they have the depth and offensive firepower to beat anybody in the country. That alone makes them a huge threat to win it all.

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