Auburn was going to be a tough matchup for UNC, but their three-point shooting did the damage to one of original Blue Bloods of college basketball.
You know the old basketball saying “live by the three, die by the three?”
Auburn made up their minds before their Sweet 16 matchup with the powerful North Carolina Tar Heels that, if they were going to beat one of the original Blue Bloods of college basketball, it was going to be by the three.
So, as soon as the ball tipped off, Auburn started jacking up threes, and they watched as the majority of them went in. The Tar Heels were stunned by the Tiger’s three-point display, but they know of that saying as well and waited for them to finally cool off from deep.
The Tar Heels would wait in vain.
In the second half, the threes kept falling for Bruce Pearl’s team, and the Tar Heels could get nothing going offensively, falling prey to the Tigers relentless defense.
When it was all said and done, they went 17-of-37 from deep. That translates into 44 percent shooting from deep, and it was too much for Roy Williams and his crew to fathom, let alone handle.
In a sense, Auburn walked into this surprising Sweet 16 appearance with nothing to lose. Everyone (this writer included) thought that UNC would get past the Tigers, but, in reality, we should have known better. Auburn played loose, while all the pressure was on the Tar Heels, and they played like it.
Auburn was out there having the time of their lives in the same building where, just weeks prior, they shocked their conference to win the SEC Tournament. The Tar Heels looked loss, mesmerized by Auburn’s three-point bombs. Now that they’ve taken out No. 1 UNC, they are one win away from the Final Four.
They always had, though. We were just naive to overlook them. In the end, Auburn lived by the three, and they used it to send the Tar Heels to their grave.