COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 24: Nassir Little #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels goes up for a shot against Sam Timmins #33 of 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) No. 1 UNC Basketball has reached the Sweet 16 after wins over No. 16 Iona and No. 9 Washington. Here are some thoughts, observations, and numbers that defined the Tar Heels’ First Weekend of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The Midwest’s top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels are on their way to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, with a promising first weekend — including breakout games, dominant team performances, and wins over Iona and Washington — giving UNC Basketball plenty of hope for a prolonged postseason run ending in Minneapolis. Considering UNC’s standing as one of the last 16 teams standing in this year’s Tournament field, here are 16 thoughts, observations, and numbers from their first weekend. Oh, So Sweet: Another second round victory, another Sweet 16 for Roy Williams and UNC. For coach Williams, this marks his 19th Sweet 16 berth (out of 29 Tournament appearances), moving him past Jim Boeheim (18) for second all-time in Sweet 16s made by a head coach in NCAA history. Mike Krzyzewski (24) is the lone man ahead of him. For UNC, the program has reached the second weekend for the fourth time in five seasons, an impressive run of prolonged postseason success. Top-Heavy: For only the second time in NCAA Tournament history, all top-three seeds advanced to the Sweet 16. The only other year this happened? 2009. History, Repeated? Not only are the top-three seeds alive in the Sweet 16, just like in 2009, but the exact same seeds remain: 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-5, 1-2-3-12. Spooky. Winning: Williams’ wins over Iona and Washington bring his Tournament win total up to 59 wins since 2000, the most such wins during that timeframe. (Krzyzewski is second with 49 wins, Bill Self third with 47, Tom Izzo fourth with 46, John Calipari fifth with 44.) The World Is Yours: After what amounted to be a turbulent freshman season through his first 33 games, freshman forward Nassir Little has exploded onto the scene in his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Through two games, the 6-6 power wing posted totals of 39 points (19.5 PPG) and 11 rebounds (5.5 RPG) on a ridiculous 70.8 shooting percentage from the floor (17-of-24), all in just 38 minutes of action. Little’s 19 points in his NCAA Tournament debut against Iona were the most from a UNC freshman in a debut since Harrison Barnes scored 24 in the first round of the 2011 tournament. Little’s 20-point outing against Washington was the first time a UNC reserve hit 20 points in an NCAA Tournament game since 2005, when Marvin Williams scored 20 against Iowa State in the second round. Jam Fam: With 8:26 remaining in the second half against Washington with the Heels safely up 61-47, Nassir Little received an entry pass from Cam Johnson, took one dribble into a hop-step and proceeded to attempt what would’ve been the rudest play of the entire 2019 NCAA Tournament had it worked. A two-handed poster over Hameir Wright would’ve made the internet explode. In the locker room after the game, Little was told (jokingly) that the guy(s) he tried to posterize had a family. Little’s response? “Well, their family should tell them to move.” It's still so funny how Nassir felt the need to just yam it on a poor Husky's head. If that had gone in… pic.twitter.com/ac4DXFrBCH — Trevor William Marks (@twmarks_) March 25, 2019 17-1: UNC’s record whenever Nassir Little scores in double figures. Seven-Nothing: Against Washington on Sunday, grad transfer Cameron Johnson dished out seven assists, the most assists from a Tar Heel this season without committing a turnover. 16-0: UNC’s record whenever Johnson records at least three made three-pointers in a game. Back On Track: Entering their Round of 32 bout with Washington, the Tar Heels were in the midst of a monthlong shooting drought from the perimeter, with March being UNC’s coldest month in what had been a downward, month-by-month trajectory: November 36.7 3P%, December 37.8 3P%, January 39.2 3P%, February 35.9 3P%, March 32.3 3P%. Against the Huskies, though, it appears that UNC is back on track from downtown, canning 9-of-21 (42.9 3P%) triples. Coby White drained 4-of-7, Johnson 3-of-8, Luke Maye 1-of-2, and Little 1-of-1. Hoarders: Through two games, UNC is out-rebounding its opponents 100-50, including 35 offensive boards (20 against Iona, 15 against Washington) which led to 41 second-chance points. Both the Gaels and Huskies rank poorly as defensive rebounding units (bottom-third or worse), due to a lack of interior size and their usage of zone schemes on the defensive end. UNC’s next opponent, Auburn, primarily plays man-to-man, but the Tigers’ rebounding numbers are still mediocre. The Tigers were out-rebounded by 26 through two tournament games and rank 333rd in defensive rebounding percentage (66.8 DREB%). LUUUKE: Senior forward Luke Maye scored 20 points (8-19 FG) against Washington, the most he’s recorded in 14 career tournament games. His previous high of 17 came against Kentucky in the 2017 Elite Eight. Senior Memories: According to The Daily Tar Heel’s Chris Trenkle, Cameron Johnson says that he occasionally catches Kenny Williams rewatching the replay of the 2017 national championship game (where the Tar Heels defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs, 71-65). And, yes, Johnson wonders what it was like to be win a championship. They’re Watching: Acknowledged previously by members of the media year in and year out, the NCAA Tournament gives players a larger platform to show what they’re made of, with audiences of scouts, coaches, and NBA executives eyeing prospective draftees carefully. For UNC’s Nassir Little (19.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 70.8 FG%) and Coby White (13.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 40 3P%), strong performances during the Tournament’s first weekend has arguably elevated their draft stock more than any other duo of NBA hopefuls. Little’s name was losing traction as a lottery prospect due to subpar play, but two highly-productive outings are pushing his name back into the top-10 range that he began the year in. White is among the highest risers of the Draft, playing his way into consideration as a lottery selection and perhaps the Draft’s second-best (or maybe even the best) point guard. If UNC’s run in the Tournament lasts even longer, and the two freshmen continue playing well, their stock should only continue to climb. Go With The ‘Fro: Coby White is fun. That’s it. That’s the takeaway. #UNC's Coby White is something else in the open court. Flashy as all hell. pic.twitter.com/7ZDAvmfQtd — Trevor William Marks (@twmarks_) March 24, 2019 Grit and Grind: Sunday’s final box score versus Washington gives off the impression that the game was easy, but that wasn’t the case for two Tar Heel players. Both Kenny Williams and Garrison Brooks had to leave the game due to injury — Brooks suffered an elbow to the mouth, which required several stitches, and Williams exited the game briefly for cramping in his hamstring — before ultimately returning to the floor. No matter your feelings toward these players from Chapel Hill, love them or hate them, you certainly can’t say that these young men aren’t tough.<doc-sep>Well, last night, we got two good games in the South Region and two blowouts in the West. We also saw the last Pac-12 team leave this year’s tournament as the Oregon Ducks lost to the Virginia Cavaliers, 53-49. On the plus side, we now know that Tony Bennett’s system can compete with Dana Altman’s. Tonight, the Sweet 16 continues with four more games. The first game up features the Michigan State Spartans vs. the LSU Tigers. Personally, I’ve got Michigan State winning it all this year, but, before they can start thinking of the Final Four, they’ve got to get past LSU which has had a great season, too. But, something’s got to give and I think Izzo’s got the edge here. About 30 minutes later on TBS, the North Carolina Tar Heels will square off against the Auburn Tigers. This should be another great matchup. A lot of folks have the Tar Heels winning the tournament. So, it would be a huge shocker to see Auburn upset UNC today, but there’s a reason they play the games. The remaining two games also look to be solid matchups. The overall top seed Duke Blue Devils face the Virginia Tech Hokies in the East Region in a matchup between #1 and #4 seeds. Can Duke recover after almost blowing it against UCF last Sunday? Can the Hokies pull off the upset? We’ll see.... The final game today features John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats against the Houston Cougars. While Calipari will certainly have the Cats ready, the Cougars have lost just two games all season. Houston’s losses came against UCF, which nearly beat Duke, and Cincinnati, which lost in the first round to Iowa. Bruins fans might want to root for Houston, just in case the rumors about Calipari being interested in the UCLA job are true since a Kentucky loss would allow negotiations to begin in earnest. Here’s tonight’s broadcast information: 2019 NCAA Tournament, Sweet Sixteen, Day Two Game Location Time (PT) TV Commentators Game Location Time (PT) TV Commentators Michigan State vs. LSU Washington D.C. I 4:09 p.m. CBS Jim Nantz / Bill Raftery / Grant Hill // Tracy Wolfson North Carolina vs. Auburn Kansas City I 4:29 p.m. TBS Ian Eagle / Jim Spanarkel // Jamie Erdahl Duke vs. Virginia Tech Washington D.C. II After conc. I CBS Jim Nantz / Bill Raftery / Grant Hill // Tracy Wolfson Kentucky vs. Houston Kansas City II After conc. I TBS Ian Eagle / Jim Spanarkel // Jamie Erdahl This is your NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen Day Two open thread. Go Bruins!<doc-sep>The over/under for Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup between Auburn and North Carolina has been a popular target for both sharp and recreational bettors. According to The Action Network’s public betting data, 62% of bets and an extraordinary 91% of dollars wagered have hit the over in this game. With so much money flowing on the over, oddsmakers at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas have already kicked this number up from an opener of 160 to 164, at the time of writing. But it’s not only bettors who are expecting a high-scoring affair between the Tigers and Tar Heels. During an interview with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl suggested to “take the over.” Here’s the full interview: According to KenPom, North Carolina and Auburn rank eighth and sixth, respectively, in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, explaining why so many, including Pearl, are bullish on points in Friday’s game. However, The Action Network’s Director of Predictive Analytics Sean Koerner is predicting a lower-scoring game, projecting a total of 151.5 based on his Sweet 16 power ratings. Be sure to download The Action Network’s mobile app to track real-time line moves and betting percentage updates for Friday’s UNC-Auburn matchup, as well as every NCAA Tournament game.<doc-sep>
COLUMBUS, Ohio — You could have labeled the Midwest Region the Darwin Region. Survival of the fittest. When the brackets were revealed, it was saturated with college basketball blue bloods: North Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas. Well, Kansas is gone but you could argue that it remains a treacherous path. No. 1 seed North Carolina’s road to the Final Four is tough, but the good news for the Tars Heels is they keep getting better. Except for a poor first half against Iona when they trailed 38-33, they have been very impressive. Over the past 60 minutes of basketball, they have outscored the opposition 136-94, culminating in Sunday’s 81-59 domination of No.9 Washington. North Carolina (29-6) will face No.5 Auburn (28-9) in a Sweet 16 matchup in Kansas City. “I think, needless to say, anybody that advances past this point you feel good about a win,” said coach Roy Williams whose team suffered an 86-65 beatdown as a No. 2 seed to No. 7 Texas A&M last year in the second round. “Last we year we had a really nice year and stumbled. We walked about it quite a bit this summer.” North Carolina entered the tournament with the fourth-best odds to win the national championship. The Tar Heels trailed favorite Duke, Gonzaga, and Virginia. That was largely due to the strength of their region. Perhaps they were undervalued. Few teams are playing better. The Tar Heels have won 17 of 19, with those losses coming against fellow No. 1 seeds: Duke (74-73) and Virginia (69-61). “Throughout the course of the second half of the season I think we’ve gotten better and better,” said Williams, who is gunning for his fourth national championship. “But so has Auburn, and some of these other teams that we are going to be playing. But I like how out kids have focused down the stretch.” Williams’ winning ways have usually centered around speed. He ran the opposition into submission at Kansas. He has continued to do that at North Carolina. It says a lot that in Year 16 he might have his quickest-paced squad. North Carolina entered this tournament as the fastest-playing team in the field. The Tar Heels were fifth overall in the nation in adjusted tempo. They were also are averaging 78 possessions per game – fifth most in the country. The triggerman for his offense is freshman point guard Coby White. With his ‘do, he’s hard to miss. What objects could you hide in White’s voluminous hair? A) A sandwich B) A poodle C) A compact car D) All the above If you answered D, congratulations. White hair magnificently bobs as he motors down the court. He shifts speeds with terrifying efficiency – maybe even better than Ty Lawson, the speedy point guard for Williams’ second NCAA title team with North Carolina in 2009. Williams told cbssports.com: “We’ve never played as fast as I want us to play.” Against Washington, North Carolina only got four fast-break points. However, White puts a lot of pressure on a defense. And he’s fully capable of initiating his own offense. The freshman scored 12 of his 17 points in the first half, and made 4-of-7 three-point shots for the game. One number tells White’s impact: North Carolina was plus-26 with him on the floor. “Coby has an ability to score,” Williams said. “They were trying to cover him. They were trying to have somebody in front of him the whole game. And he picked his spots. I thought he did a really nice job for us.” But it’s not just about White. North Carolina has a veteran presence: senior Luke Maye, a member of the 2017 NCAA title squad. It has a hungry transfer: second-year player Cameron Johnson, formerly of Pittsburgh. And it’s got a freaky athlete in Nassir Little, another stud freshman. Little had 15 of his 20 points against Washington in the second half. North Carolina still hasn’t played its best. For that reason, the Tar Heels might have the biggest upside of the remaining teams. “We can attack in a multitude of ways from a multitude of guys,” Johnson said. North Carolina, the Atlantic Coast Conference co-champion with Virginia, swept Duke in the regular-season, though both those victories have an asterisk. Duke’s Zion Williamson got hurt and left the game in the first matchup, and didn’t play at all in the second game. When Williamson returned for the ACC tournament, Duke edged North Carolina in the semifinal 74-73.