At the bottom of the East Region 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket, North Carolina got a gift: Marquette’s upset of Syracuse robbed the Tar Heels of their most imposing possible foe in Newark, and put another team with a much less athletic roster on Carolina’s slate. North Carolina vs. Marquette will tip at 7:15 p.m. Friday from Newark on CBS, according to the 2011 NCAA Tournament schedule, and announcers Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg will have the call.
Sweet 16 Predictions, Preview: UNC Tar Heels vs. Marquette Golden Eagles, 7:15 ET Friday
North Carolina's first two games in this NCAA Tournament haven't been perfect — Long Island poured in points against an indifferent Carolina defense, and Washington went toe-to-toe with the Heels for almost the full 40 minutes — but that might be a good thing for Roy Williams' young team. None of the Tar Heels' talented young guns (Kendall Marshall, Harrison Barnes, and John Henson) have been particularly bad, and Tyler Zeller's been very good, but there are still things Williams can do to get them playing better. Those things certainly include haranguing them about their defensive focus, but they might also involve reminding these Tar Heels that when they plays hard and don't let their guard down, it can be the best-looking squad in America. If Marquette gets a taste of that, look out.
One of just two Big East teams in the Sweet 16 (Connecticut's the other), Marquette has gone from quintessential bubble team to quintessential "bubble team makes good" storyline. The Golden Eagles have certainly been helped by careless play from both Third Round victim Syracuse (18 turnovers) and Second Round loser Xavier (15 turnovers), but they also needed to take advantage of it, and could do the same against a Carolina team that can be streakier than un-Windexed glass. And if the Golden Eagles could get a 10-point game from anyone other than Jimmy Butler, Darius Johnson-Odom, and Jae Crowder, it would help.
Star Watch: If Marshall takes care of the ball, North Carolina should win. That’s not that tall a task for the freshman, who has a very healthy 4:1 assist-turnover ratio in this NCAA Tournament so far.
Prediction: Too much talent suits up in Carolina blue for this to be anything but a Tar Heels win without a complete implosion by UNC. That won’t happen, and Marquette will struggle to keep up, falling 81-68.
More Reading: SB Nation’s North Carolina blog Carolina March has plenty more on the Tar Heels’, um, March, while Anonymous Eagle is chock-full of Marquette Golden Eagles news and analysis.
Need help catching up with all the action? Here’s a printable NCAA Tournament bracket and an updated Sweet 16 schedule.
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