We are just hours away from tip-off in Philadelphia as the UNC basketball program takes on UCLA with a trip to the Elite 8 on the line. The Bruins enter this game as the favorites and are hoping to return to the Final Four for the second-straight year.
Meanwhile, UNC is playing some of their best basketball of the season fresh off an upset over No. 1 Baylor. But the test does get tougher for the Tar Heels against a Bruins team that has the experience and knows what it takes to win the big games.
For UNC, they are a team that loves to push the tempo and get out on fast breaks and while they haven’t been as good as years past with it, that’s their style of play. On Friday, UCLA is likely going to try and slow down the pace and make it a half-court game, working into their favor.
Carlos, host of the Pac-12 podcast, No Truck Stops breaks down why they will do just that:
This UCLA team has been tinkering with tempo all season, probably because Mick Cronin thinks that being able to play fast and slow (despite his penchant for slow) will be beneficial against teams like North Carolina. UCLA will likely try to slow things down though, and that’s frankly when the Bruins play some of their best ball. I fully expect UCLA to try to drag this game into the mud and dare North Carolina to rely on its halfcourt offense. If the Bruins dictate the tempo and pace of this game and slow it to a crawl, they’re in their element and I like their chances.
If UNC can get out and control the pace of this game, good things should come. But playing in the half-court isn’t the worst thing either especially if the Tar Heels continue to shoot the ball well.
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