Final Four: UNC advantages and disadvantages against Oregon

On Saturday, the North Carolina Tar Heels will face the Oregon Ducks in the second national semifinal game of the 2017 Final Four.

The winner of the North Carolina vs. Oregon matchup will face the winner of the South Carolina vs. Gonzaga game for the national championship.

Entering into Saturday’s game, the Tar Heels and the Ducks are riding emotional highs right now.

Saturday’s game can go either way. It could be a close game or a blowout.

Both Oregon and UNC have legitimate reasons why their teams will be victorious.

However, there can only be one winner. Only one team will advance. At this point in the season, every little thing matters because you are one game away from playing for the national title.

Lets look at UNC’s advantages and disadvantages against Oregon in Saturday’s game.

Advantages

Rebounding

The Tar Heels are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation. According to ESPN, UNC ranks second in rebounds (45.3 rebounds per game), only trailing Seton Hall.

Oregon ranks 29th in rebounding nationally with 37 rebounds per game.

North Carolina’s Kennedy Meeks headlines the low post for the Tar Heels.

Meeks averaged 12.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 assists per game this season. In this year’s NCAA tournament, Meeks averages 10.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 0.5 blocks per game.

For the past several years, sports analysts have been quick to point out how Meeks cannot elevate off the ground that high.

Mar 26, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Isaiah Briscoe (13) and North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) battle for a rebound in the second half during the finals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /

What he lacks in ‘ups,’ Meeks makes up for it in his positioning and toughness. Meeks has gone from being a fall guy to a leader for the Tar Heels. He is a huge reason why UNC has a chance to win a national championship.

Oregon does not have anyone in their rotation as big as Meeks. Oregon’s Jordan Bell will have the task of guarding Meeks.

Although Bell was close to getting a triple-double against the Kansas Jayhawks last week, he gives up 35 to 40 pounds to Meeks.

Meeks should have a field day in the low post against Oregon on Saturday night.

Bench

North Carolina has the deepest bench in the Final Four.

Last weekend, the hero of the game against Kentucky was Luke Maye. The sophomore has seen his minutes increase in the tournament after posting a double-double against Butler and playing well against Kentucky.

The interesting thing about Maye is that he is one of the top scorers for the Tar Heels during the tournament. Due to his recent success, the final four teams have to prepare for him as though he was a starter.

Although Kenny Williams is missed in the backcourt, the Tar Heels still have Joel Berry II, Theo Pinson, Nate Britt, Seventh Woods and Stilman White.

Berry, Britt and Pinson get the majority of the minutes played at the guard positions. Woods and White are used merely as reserves.

When North Carolina played Kentucky, Berry went out of the game for several minutes due to a minor injury. Britt, Woods and White filled in for him.

UNC’s offense did not drop off that much in Berry’s absence. If UNC continues their high level of play with their version of “Next Man Up,” then Oregon will have a difficult slowing down the Tar Heels.

Scoring

The Tar Heels rank seventh in the nation in scoring with an average of 85.5 points per game.

Although this is an advantage, keep in mind that Oregon beat Kansas last weekend. Kansas ranked ahead of UNC, with an average of 87 points per game which was sixth in the nation.

The difference between UNC and Kansas is the manner in which their scoring is distributed. Kansas is more of a guard-oriented team and they are smaller.

The Jayhawks were not a balanced team. Although they were very good, they were not tough in the low post, which offset their high-octane offense.

On the other hand, North Carolina is a balanced team in size AND scoring. The Tar Heels have won some of their games led by their guards. In other instances, the low post has dominated the game for UNC and led them to victories.

Due to these major differences between Kansas and UNC, Oregon cannot prepare for the Tar Heels the same way they did for the Jayhawks.

Oregon has to come up with ways to slow down first-team AP All-American Justin Jackson. If they focus too much on him, then they will forget about second-team All-ACC point guard Joel Berry who has scored over 20 points in several games this season.

Theo Pinson is the resident glue guy, who will do whatever needs to be done to secure a win for UNC. If North Carolina needs points, Pinson will create his own shot or distribute the ball.

When UNC needs a stop, then Pinson will guard the opposing team’s best player.

If any player gets in foul trouble, UNC head coach will substitute Pinson for that player. Pinson played the center position against the Florida State Seminoles earlier this season.

UNC won that game, although he is a shooting guard/small forward. In some instances, Pinson had manned the power forward position, also.

The bottom line is this: UNC can score in many ways. The Tar Heels are multi-dimensional on offense, which is a synonym for having many weapons that will pose problems.

Disadvantages

Superior play from wing players

North Carolina struggles to guard opposing guards and athletic wing players who shoot well from the perimeter. Oregon’s Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey pose problems for North Carolina.

Dorsey is averaging 24.5 points per game in the NCAA tournament.

Mar 25, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Tyler Dorsey (5) reacts during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks in the finals of the Midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Oregon defeated Kansas 74-60. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Last weekend, he torched the Kansas Jayhawks with 27 points and five rebounds going 6-of-10 from three-point range.

Brooks is averaging 16.5 points, five rebounds and 3.3 assists game in this year’s tournament.

When Oregon played Kansas last weekend, Brooks finished the game with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Both Brooks and Dorsey could potentially shoot the Tar Heels out of the Final Four, if they do not contain them.

Brooks and Dorsey average over 40% from three-point range, shoot around 50% from the field and make around 74% of their free throws.

Slowing down one key player is bad enough, let alone two players. UNC’s best defender, Theo Pinson will probably guard Dorsey most of the game. However, he will get his chances at guarding Brooks, also.

Oregon’s swarming defense

Oregon is not known as a powerhouse in college basketball like North Carolina is. The Ducks have to earn their respect on a per-season basis.

Some people were shocked with their upset of Kansas last weekend in the Elite Eight. However, if you have seen the Ducks play this season, you probably were not surprised by their victory over Kansas.

Oregon forward/center Jordan Bell has been a menace to society in the low post in the tournament.

Bell put up these numbers against Kansas: 11 points, 13 rebounds, eight blocks and four assists.

He is averaging 12.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.75 assists and 2.5 blocks in the NCAA tournament.

Bell’s matchup against UNC’s Meeks may possibly decide each team’s fate on Saturday night. Both players have been stalwarts for their respective teams lately.

Next: Final Four Preview: UNC vs. Oregon

If UNC allows Bell to have his way in the low post, then the Tar Heels could possibly be catching a red eye back to Tobacco Road late Saturday night.

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