UNC could face any of these teams.
North Carolina is in the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. A solid field, the Tar Heels could face any of the other seven teams, win or lose. This will be a good early-season test to see what we can expect from UNC.
First Game
The only team that North Carolina will 100% play is Northern Iowa. If you remember, they upset the Tar Heels in Marcus Paige’s homecoming game during the 2016 season.
They come into the contest with a 1-2 record. Their losses were to North Texas and South Florida.
One player, Nathan Heise, leads their team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. UNC should probably focus on taking him out of the game.
Possible Second Round Matchup
Whether UNC wins or loses, they will play one of Villanova or Texas Tech.
Villanova
‘Nova will always be a rematch Tar Heel fans want. That 2016 game, although redeemed the next year, could be revenge. The Wildcats just held Maryland to only 40 points. Oddly, they dropped a game to Penn a week ago and are no longer ranked.
Texas Tech
Texas Tech features former North Carolina wing Kerwin Walton. They have played a very light schedule and sit at 3-0. The Red Raiders are only shooting 20.6% from three and are averaging 15.3 turnovers per game.
Potential Championship Game
If UNC wins its first two games, they will play in the championship game. The Tar Heels would face one of Arkansas, Memphis, Michigan, or Stanford.
Arkansas
The Hogs have been one of the most consistent teams in the country over the past few seasons. They just lost to UNC Greensboro, but still have a loaded and athletic roster. This team is filled with transfers and has a good balance of scoring. Four players average 10 or more points per game.
Memphis
The Tigers are 3-0 and have won every game by 15+. This is another transfer-heavy, veteran-led squad. Similar to Arkansas, Memphis has four players averaging over 10 PPG and a fifth averaging 9.3.
Michigan
The Wolverines won their first three games by 25, 30, and 16. Then, they lost to Long Beach State. This is a team trying to gel. They have a ton of transfers but are led by star guard Dug McDaniel. They can really score the ball. Michigan is averaging 91.5 points per game, while having two players average over 18. On top of that, they shoot 52.1%. That is elite.
Stanford
Sitting at 3-1, the Cardinal are led by former UNC assistant Jerod Haase. They were picked to finish eighth in the PAC-12 this season. Stanford is scoring a lot of points and shooting well while doing it. Their lone loss was to a good Santa Clara team.
UNC will have its hands full!
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