The North Carolina Tar Heels basketball club came into the 2015-2016 college basketball season with very lofty goals. Even before the opening tip of the season, they were labeled as the number one team in all the land. Everyone knew they were a veteran laden team, led by upperclassmen Kennedy Meeks, Marcus Paige, and Brice Johnson. For many North Carolina fans, it was final four or bust. Most believed that UNC indeed did have the potential to be the last team standing when it is all said and done.
This post season, the Tar Heels have been in cruise control, just smashing teams left and right. They glided their way to a regular season ACC championship. To go along with that, they won the ACC tournament in mid March. Then came the NCAA tournament. Head Coach Roy Williams’ Tar Heels have rattled off four victories in a row in the NCAA tournament, giving them a berth in the 2016 final four; to be honest, it has looked relatively easy for the boys from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels bashed Florida Gulf Coast in the opening round of the big dance. That set up a matchup with the Providence Friars. That game was close for a short stint; UNC kicked it into another gear, going on to win by 19.
Next up in the sweet 16 was a date with the Indiana Hoosiers. There was a ton of hoopla surrounding this game, due to the fact that it was a matchup between two blue blood programs. The game was somewhat choppy because of the officiating, but the Heels turned up the intensity, going on to win by 15, 101-86. That put Roy Williams’ team so close to the final four they could smell it. Standing in the way was a Notre Dame team that they whipped by 30 just a few weeks ago. The Irish put up a fight, but did not have the ammunition to hang with Carolina for forty minutes.
Now, North Carolina has done it, they have reached the final four promise land. They have handled their business and achieved what they set out to do. All that is left is two more games until they are crowned national champions. It will not be a cake walk though. There are three other teams that have earned the right to be one of the final four teams left. The final four is comprised of: Oklahoma, Villanova, Syracuse, and North Carolina. Oklahoma will square off with Villanova and the Tar Heels will face the 10 seed Syracuse Orangemen.
Throw the seed of Syracuse out of the window. They are a club that is on fire and sizzling. This post season they have taken down a fair share of college basketball big boys. Their leader is senior forward, Michael Gbinije. Gbinije is an animal on the glass, capable of taking over games with his scoring, passing, and rebounding ability. Trevor Cooney is a guy who is a sharp shooter and a guy who can hit basket after basket. Syracuse has that vaunted zone defense that they never get out of.
Look for the Tar Heels to be favored in the Syracuse game. They are a complete and well oiled machine right now. Syracuse better pray that Carolina is not hitting shots, otherwise it is game over.
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