In 2009, the Tar Heels beat Gonzaga and Oklahoma on the way to their last national championship. The Bulldogs have struggled on the boards this year and are 323rd in the country in rebounds per game (32.2), while the Tar Heels lead the country in rebounds per game (43.8).
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FILE – At left, in a December 18, 2016, file photo, UCLA head basketball coach Steve Alford calls to his team during an NCAA college basketball game against OR, in Eugene, Ore.
“Last year at this time we were 16-1 coming into this weekend and now we’re 7-8”, UNC coach Roy Williams said.
But because they play in different conferences – and in UCLA’s and North Carolina’s cases, different coasts – their paths don’t cross often enough perhaps. Reserve forward Luke Maye scored a career-high 14 points in the first half and Carolina dug in on defense in the second half to open a 20-point advantage. To say the Heels toyed with their opponent would be erroneous – Carolina played hard, which it usually does – but the manpower differential was such that the Heels could get whatever they wanted whenever they needed it.
The Bulldogs couldn’t contend with the Tar Heels on the glass, and had to settle for challenged jump shots most of the one-sided evening.
At the same time, though, they understand that they’re also the ACC’s final hope for saving face in this tournament, a role they’re more than willing to accept for as long as they can.
DJ Dozier and Chris Silva had 12 points apiece and Duane Notice added 11 for the Gamecocks.
One of the fans said, “We want to see.the vice president, pet our dog Blue!”
Five players are averaging at least 8.1 points per game, they are: Kelan Martin (16.1), Andrew Chrabascz (11.0), Kamar Baldwin (10.0), Avery Woodson (8.6) and Kethan Savage (8.1).
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, UNC is the favorite in this game, as the Tar Heels are getting odds of -7.5 points against the Bulldogs. Under Calipari, UK is 5-2 vs. UNC, including a victory over Carolina in the 2011 East Region finals. Butler has shown that they can defeat top teams, having handed Villanova two losses in 2017. However, “Once I ran it off, it felt better”, he said.
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“I got the chance to compete with so many awesome guys and coaches”, he said. “We had a bunch of ups and downs in conference play, but we overcame those and then just stuck together”. That includes Sunday, when Meeks tipped in Joel Berry II’s final-minute heave onto the backboard during a 12-0 game-closing run to rally past Arkansas 72-65 after flirting with a stunningly early exit. By comparison, Butler had just 13 assists.
