The UNC basketball program is set to do battle against UCLA on Friday night with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
After beating Marquette handily, the Tar Heels upset No. 1 Baylor in the East Region to reach the Sweet 16. But another tough task awaits in the form of No. 4 UCLA who is looking to return to the Final Four for the second-straight season.
But how has the year gone for UCLA? They entered this season with VERY high expectations and rightfully so. They returned every starter from that Final Four team last year that lost to Gonzaga on a buzzer-beater.
Carlos, host of the Pac-12 podcast, No Truck Stops gives us the rundown on the season so far:
Through the lens of the weighty expectations that college basketball media and fans placed on UCLA coming into the 2021-22 season, it’d be hard to think that UCLA wasn’t at least somewhat disappointing. Their Final 4 run in 2021 captivated college basketball fans all over the country and, with every single player from that team coming back, it made sense why people thought so highly of UCLA coming into the season. Six regular-season losses and a second-place finish in the Pac-12 later, it’s fair for people to wonder what happened to UCLA this season and why they weren’t the juggernaut people were expecting them to be.
While some may think it was a tad bit disappointing, UCLA still accomplished something they haven’t done since 2008:
But if you’re asking me? I think this season has, generally, gone well. UCLA finished in the top-15 in both offensive and defensive efficiency per KenPom, the first time UCLA has done that since 2008, when UCLA went on its third straight Final 4 run. The Bruins have had far and away the best season of Mick Cronin’s short tenure and have also accumulated a nice little collection of signature victories to boot, with wins over Villanova and a suddenly (and surprisingly) dominant Arizona. Of course, this UCLA team has had its fair share of challenges, namely struggling to keep up with the length and athleticism of conference foes like Oregon and Arizona. Against both of those teams, UCLA found itself limited by its talent and needing to lock in defensively.
While Baylor was a very tough opponent for UNC, this might be one of the most talented teams the Tar Heels have faced all season long. And if UNC isn’t careful early on, they could be in danger of falling behind.
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