Keeping It Heel
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NCAA Tournament: Breaking down the Midwest Region for UNC Basketball

By Zack Pearson

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 09: Coby White #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a play against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Dean Smith Center on March 09, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 09: Coby White #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a play against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Dean Smith Center on March 09, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TEXAS – MARCH 07: (L-R) Fabian White Jr. #35, Dejon Jarreau #13, Nate Hinton #11 and Armoni Brooks #3 of the Houston Cougars look on in the closing moments of the game at Fertitta Center on March 07, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS – MARCH 07: (L-R) Fabian White Jr. #35, Dejon Jarreau #13, Nate Hinton #11 and Armoni Brooks #3 of the Houston Cougars look on in the closing moments of the game at Fertitta Center on March 07, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Toughest Matchups Part II

In the previous slide, we detailed what UNC’s path to the Final Four could be and the teams they will likely see. But those aren’t the only tough matchups for the Tar Heels in this bracket.

There are two other teams I could see giving UNC some trouble if they do meet.

Houston

Houston is an interesting team as the No. 3 seed in this tournament. The key to being a good team in this tournament is defense and the Cougars have that. They are one of the better defensive teams in this region and they could use that to make a Final Four run.

Opponents are shooting just 37 percent against Houston this season, the second-lowest in all of college basketball behind only Texas Tech. The Cougars get after you defensively and make life difficult for teams that love to score on the perimeter.

Teams shoot just 27.7 percent from the three-point line against Houston and for a team like UNC who loves the perimeter, this could be a bad matchup for the Tar Heels.

Auburn

The Tigers won the SEC Tournament by beating Florida and then Tennessee on consecutive days, but only earned a No. 5 seed. If they can avoid that classic 12/5 upset in the first round, they are good enough to beat Kansas in the second round.

What makes Auburn a bad matchup for UNC is their ability to shoot the three-pointer.

They shot 37.6 percent from the three-point line this year, ranking 37th in the nation. They love to push the temp and aren’t afraid to take a three-pointer in transition either. With UNC’s struggles to guard the perimeter, Auburn could make life difficult for the Tar Heels.

On the other side, Auburn is essentially a team that lives and dies with the three-point shot. That could work in UNC’s favor.

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