Breaking down Iona, UNC's first-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament

The No. 1 seed North Carolina men's basketball team opens up NCAA Tournament play with a matchup against the No. 16 seed Iona Gaels on Friday night in the Midwest Region.

Here's what you need to know about Iona before the opening tip in Columbus, Ohio.

Strong guard play

Five of Iona's top six scorers are guards, led by E.J. Crawford and Rickey McGill. The two guards led Iona to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles and were named to the All-MAAC First Team. 

Crawford boasts a team-high 17.9 points per game and ranks second on the team with 5.1 rebounds. The 6-foot-6 junior is also an efficient scorer who shoots 50.9 percent from the field and 39.1 percent on 3-point shots.

McGill, a 6-foot-2 senior, is the team's primary playmaker and ranks first on the team with five assists per game. He also averages 15.5 points per game on the season. 

Asante Gist is the other Gaels guard who averages double figures in scoring. The 5-foot-11 senior struggled in the MAAC Tournament quarterfinals and posted two points on 0-4 shooting. However, Gist led the Gaels in scoring in the final two games of the MAAC Tournament and scored 22 points in consecutive double-digit wins. 

In addition to those three players, Ben Perez and Isaiah Still also average more than seven points per game. 

Negligence on defense

While the Gaels have a multitude of players who can score the ball, they do not fare as well on the defensive side of the floor, something that does not bode well against UNC.

Iona has the No. 278 defense in the country, allowing 75.6 points per game. The Gaels have allowed 80 points or more 13 times this season.

Meanwhile, North Carolina has one of the top offenses in the country. The Tar Heels can score in bunches, evidenced by their No. 3 scoring offense in the country. UNC averages 86.1 points per game and has three players that score more than 14 points a game.

If the Gaels cannot defend the Tar Heels early, UNC could score 100 points for the seventh time this season.

Low production on the glass

Perhaps the most foreboding statistic for Iona against UNC is the team's efficiency on the glass. The Gaels average just 34.4 rebounds per game, good for 228th in the nation. Unfortunately for them, the team they are playing is quite the opposite. 

UNC leads the nation in rebounding at 43.6 boards per game. Six-foot-9 Tajuan Agee, the Gaels' best big man, is putting up strong numbers with 8.1 rebounds per game. However, he will have his hands full with forwards Garrison Brooks and Luke Maye. The two have averaged a combined 16.1 rebounds this season and could put up numbers higher than their average against Iona.

Bottom line

Iona will not have a long run in its 14th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Gaels are simply too small and not good enough on defense to keep up with UNC's breakneck pace. Expect North Carolina's frontcourt to feast in the paint in a blowout victory.

@christrenkle2

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com