Three-minute preview: North Carolina vs. Villanova
North Carolina vs. Villanova
P, No., North Carolina, Ht., Yr., PPG
F, 11, Brice Johnson, 6-10, Sr., 17.0
F, 3, Kennedy Meeks, 6-10, Jr., 9.4
F, 44, Justin Jackson, 6-8, So., 12.3
G, 2, Joel Berry II, 6-0, So., 12.6
G, 5, Marcus Paige, 6-2, Sr., 12.3
P, No., Villanova, Ht., Yr., PPG
F, 2, Kris Jenkins, 6-6, Jr., 13.6
F, 23, Daniel Ochefu, 6-11, Sr., 10.1
G, 3, Josh Hart, 6-5, Jr., 15.5
G, 15, Ryan Arcidiacono, 6-3, Sr., 12.4
G, 1, Jalen Brunson, 6-2, Fr., 9.7
▪ WHEN/WHERE: 8:18 Monday night at NRG Stadium in Houston
▪ TV/RADIO: TBS, TNT, truTV; WHB (810 AM)
▪ ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (33-6): The Tar Heels are bidding for their sixth NCAA championship, and the third under coach Roy Williams. North Carolina is offensive-minded. The Tar Heels have surpassed 80 points in each of their NCAA victories and have won them by an average margin of 14 points. Villanova has been terrific at forcing turnovers, but North Carolina averages only 10.8 per game, the program’s lowest figure since the stat became official in 1981-82.
▪ ABOUT VILLANOVA (34-5): The Wildcats are coming off an astounding 44-point victory over Oklahoma, a game that produced a field-goal percentage of 71.8, the second greatest in Final Four history. Villanova is bidding for its second national title, having pulled the major upset of Georgetown in 1985. If it becomes a free-throw contest, the Wildcats will feel confident. They’re shooting 82.4 percent in the tournament.
▪ PREDICTION: North Carolina 80-75
Blair Kerkhoff: @BlairKerkhoff
This story was originally published April 3, 2016 at 7:19 PM with the headline "Three-minute preview: North Carolina vs. Villanova."