Missed Layups
North Carolina has made a living by scoring points in the paint, especially with Ven-Allen Lubin's late season emergence. The Tar Heels can shoot from downtown (as they demonstrated against San Diego State with aplomb) but they tend to set up their perimeter scoring with penetration, both from driving guards and good feeds to the post.
Ole Miss was able to aggressively defend the rim, limiting UNC to 32 points in the paint on 19 two-point field goals. More damning, and indicative of Mississippi's hustle on defense, was that UNC was only able to turn nine steals into 11 fast break points. Rebel forwards got on their bike when UNC tried to get to the rim after a turnover, and would either block shots from behind, or force a tough shot. Ole Miss isn't a huge team, but they played big. When paired with UNC's smaller guards, it was a tough matchup to overcome when they shot just 5/24 from three.