No 16-seed has ever topped a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament, and with John Henson on the bench in a suit and tie, North Carolina probably doesn’t expect it to happen today.
North Carolina got off to an unusually slow start, but leads Vermont 37-25 at halftime. Take a look at two areas the Tar Heels are excelling in and two UNC will likely look to improve.
Two up
# Tyler Zeller: Zeller is five inches taller than Vermont’s Luke Apfeld, who is guarding the UNC big man, and two inches taller than anyone on the Catamount roster. As such, Vermont is double-teaming Zeller whenever he touches the ball, but that hasn’t slowed down his production. Zeller finished the first half with 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. He’s being patient with the ball and not forcing passes out of the double-team.
# Kendall Marshall: Marshall has been incredibly consistent for UNC this season, and he was nearly perfect in the first half against Vermont. Marshall dished out three assists – a good bit off his pace of nearly 10 a game – but he shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the court. The point guard has nine points at halftime with three assists.
Two down
# 3-point shooting: The Tar Heels haven’t shot 3-pointers well for much of the season. UNC is talented enough to get by without great 3-point shooting, but the Tar Heels are a much tougher team to beat when those shots are falling. North Carolina made 2-of-6 shots from behind the arc, which isn’t bad, but UNC’s designated shooters (Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston) are 1-for-4.
# James Michael McAdoo: McAdoo had a monster put-back slam, but beyond that he’s been relatively ineffective in the first half. McAdoo finished 1-of-6 from the floor with four points and three rebounds. McAdoo has, however, played solid defense and has three steals. With Henson’s status still uncertain, the Tar Heels could use more from McAdoo.
