Ahead of Auburn's first Sweet 16 game in 16 years against 1-seed North Carolina, The Plainsman posed questions for Chris Trenkle, sports editor for The Daily Tar Heel. Here's how he sees the action playing out tonight in Kansas City.
1. No one is very surprised North Carolina is back in the Sweet 16, but what's different about this year's UNC team as opposed to years past?
The biggest difference with this team compared to years past is the amount of scorers UNC has. Three different players average more than 14 points per game: graduate guard Cameron Johnson (16.9), first-year guard Coby White (16.1) and senior forward Luke Maye (14.9).
White has undoubtedly been the team's most important player, and the fastest UNC floor general since Ty Lawson in 2009. His value to the team has kept North Carolina in a lot of games and his 33 points were crucial in defeating Miami in overtime on Feb. 9. He's the only UNC first-year to ever score 30 points three times and he has paced UNC to its best offensive season since 2009, a year the team won the NCAA title.
2. How does UNC plan to slow down the Tigers' hot 3-point shooting?
Although Auburn has multiple guys that can score, the key for UNC to stop the Tigers' 3-point shooting will be to contain Bryce Brown. Kenny Williams will certainly be the one defending him as he's done against other leading scorers this season.
Against Wofford, Williams held Fletcher Magee to 7/23 shooting and he's also shut down Duke's RJ Barrett. The way Brown is playing right now, it will be a tough task for Williams. However, Williams is certainly UNC's best perimeter defender and he will be the player asked to follow Brown all over the court.
3. What's the latest on Nassir Little?
Nassir Little participated at this morning's shootaround even though he is still dealing with flu-like symptoms. If he cannot go, it's a big blow to UNC's bench. Little is by far the team's most productive reserve and if he cannot play, Brandon Robinson (3.2 ppg) will be asked to play a bigger role.
4. Who needs to have a breakout game to seal a Tar Heels win?
I think Cameron Johnson needs to have a breakout game tonight. Johnson is the team's leading scorer, but he's been relatively quiet in the first two NCAA Tournament games, despite scoring 34 points. Unlike other UNC players, this is Johnson's first time in the Sweet 16 and I think he will have a big game on the big stage. I expect Johnson to score 20 or more to lead the way for North Carolina.
5. Game prediction?
Auburn is a really good team that seems to be peaking at the right time. However, I think the Tigers might try and match UNC's pace and that is not a recipe for success. I expect UNC to control the tempo and score in a variety of ways. North Carolina just has too many weapons and is locked in after a second-round loss in last year's NCAA Tournament. Auburn keeps this one close, but I expect UNC to get the win. UNC 88, Auburn 80.
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
