When it comes to Thursday’s matchup between UNC and Marquette, there will be a few key factors that should determine the outcome of the game.
But what’s working in UNC’s favor is that they will likely have the best player on the court in junior Armando Bacot.
The forward has put together an impressive campaign here in 2021-22, averaging 16.5 points, and 12.5 rebounds per game while recording 24 double-doubles on the year. He’s what really makes UNC’s offense go and if he has a big game, the Tar Heels could advance.
Going into this game, I talked to Alan Bykowski of CrackedSidewalks.com to break down the matchup and one of the topics was how UNC can exploit Marquette’s defense. He offered up this answer which should bode well for the Tar Heels:
Marquette’s defense is different than what people familiar with Shaka Smart will expect. They run some press, but it’s designed more to slow down the opposing offense and run 8-10 seconds off the shot clock before you can get into your sets. That is evidenced with the opponent possession length being #321 nationally. Olivier-Maxence Prosper will spearhead that press when they run it and his 6’8″ frame and athleticism makes him a one-man press. Once you get across half-court, this is a switchable team that generally sticks to man and plays physically. They have an elite shot blocker in Kur Kuath and a number of versatile defenders that really take pride on that end.
Marquette’s Achilles’ heel on defense is definitely their rebounding. Both bigs are pretty slight and other than Lewis, no one on this team is great at getting to the loose balls. We’ve seen guys like Ryan Kalkbrenner and Adama Sanogo really give this team fits and when you also have a big that can hit threes like Butler’s Bryce Golden it can be a long day for Golden Eagle fans. When I wrote capsules on potential matchups in the 7/10 and 8/9 games, the guy that stood out here is Armando Bacot, who I think is going to have a field day with Marquette’s big men.
He could legitimately go for 20 points and 20 rebounds in this game and it wouldn’t be a surprise. Add in Manek’s ability to draw the bigs to the arc and there are definitely some matchups UNC can exploit.
Now, a fair warning. Many thought UNC had the rebounding edge last year in their first round game against Wisconsin. And rightfully so. The Tar Heels had Bacot, Day’Ron Sharpe, Garrison Brooks and Walker Kessler. But it didn’t matter because Wisconsin hit their shots and eventually one.
UNC has to be careful of that again…
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