NCAA Tournament: UNC Basketball vs. Iona game preview, info, prediction and more

The UNC Basketball program returns to the floor for their first NCAA Tournament game as they match up against Iona

The North Carolina Tar Heels will open up their 2019 NCAA Tournament run late on Friday night, taking on the Iona Gaels in Columbus, Ohio.

UNC earned a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, which might be the toughest region in the entire tournament. But they can only play who is in front of them and to get to the Final Four, UNC will need to go through some strong teams.

Before we get that far, UNC needs to take care of business in round one.

The Tar Heels will matchup with the Gaels in the first round, with a late Friday night start in Columbus. The two teams will tipoff at approximately 9:20 p.m. ET but that could be pushed back a little later if the prior game goes a little longer. Either way, it will be a late night for those East Coast and Midwest UNC fans.

UNC head coach Roy Williams is unbeaten in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament with a 28-0 record all-time and 14 of those wins coming with the Tar Heels. The Tar Heels are also 20-0 all time vs. No. 15 and No. 16 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

Historically, the odds are on UNC’s side to advance with only one No. 16 seed beating a No. 1 seed in NCAA tournament. That happened last season when UMBC upset the No. 1 overall seed Virginia.

For UNC, they have to make sure they don’t overlook the Gaels and suffer the same fate as the Cavaliers. UNC’s roster is better top to bottom but a poor start and letting the Gaels stay in it could make things interesting.

The Gaels enter this tournament with a 17-15 record and winners of the MAAC, earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Guard E.J. Crawford leads the Gaels, averaging 17.9 points per game and was named First Team All-Conference this season along with fellow guard Rickey McGill.

While the Gaels may have some players that can score, it’s their defense that gives them problems.

Iona is one of the worst defensive teams in the nation, allowing 75.6 points per game which ranks 278th in the nation. If they aren’t good early, this one could get out of hand and the Tar Heels could be pushing to 100.

Let’s break down some keys to the game:

Key for UNC

Just play your game. The Tar Heels are the better team and have the more talented roster, there is no doubt about that.

There is no reason for UNC to come out and not play their game. They should be comfortable and the moment really shouldn’t be too big for them, especially with players like Luke Maye and Kenny Williams who have each made two Final Fours in their career. Last season didn’t end how they wanted it and I look for Cam Johnson, Maye, Williams and others to come out hot and get this tournament off to a good start.

If UNC just plays their game, they should coast to an easy victory.

Key for Iona

The Gaels will have to get hot early and find a way to slow down the Tar Heels. It’s not going to be easy at all but for Iona to have any shot, they are going to have to jump on UNC early.

Iona doesn’t have a lot of size on their roster, so they are almost certain to lose the rebounding edge to UNC. But the way they can neutralize that is by hitting their shots.

The Gaels are going to have to come out shooting red-hot and continue that throughout the game to win. They have some scorers on this roster, so don’t be shocked if they do shoot well early on.

Staying in this game and believing they can pull it off would go a long way for a historic upset.

What you need to know

What? (16) Iona (17-15) vs. (1) North Carolina (27-6)
When? Friday, March 12 – 9:20 p.m. EST
Where? Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio
TV? TNT
Radio? Tar Heel Sports Network
All-Time series? North Carolina leads series 3-1
Prediction? UNC 101, Iona 80