Heels vs Razorbacks
North Carolina | Arkansas | |
Record | 25-11 | 27-9 |
Conference | ACC | SEC |
Conference Record | 11-7 | 13-5 |
Bid | At-large | At-large |
Seed | #4 | #5 |
KenPom Rank | 15th | 29th |
Points per game | 77.6 | 77.4 |
Adj. Off. Efficiency(Rank) | 115.4(12th) | 112.4(21st) |
Ad. Def. Efficiency(Rank) | 95.9(53rd) | 97.4(76th) |
Tempo(Rank) | 69.7(14th) | 69.5(17th) |
Offensive eFG% | 51.6% | 50.2% |
Defensive eFG% | 45.3% | 48.3% |
Field Goal % | 47.7% | 44.8% |
3P FG% | 35.0% | 35.1% |
FT% | 69.8% | 72.1% |
Offensive Reb Rate | 40.1% | 35.3% |
Defensive Reb Rate | 69.4% | 65.8% |
TO Rate | 18.4% | 16.6% |
FT Rate | 34.5% | 35.1% |
3PA% | 22.4% | 30.8% |
The biggest stat were UNC is concerned isn't actually on the chart here. It is Arkansas' defensive TO%. The Razorbacks forced a turnover on 22.6% of opponent possessions. Arkansas is a pressure team and relies on turnovers to jumpstart the offense and keep the tempo close to 70 possessions per game.
Given UNC's troubles talking care of the ball, Arkansas' penchant for forcing turnovers, this game is particularly dangerous for the Tar Heels. That being said, Arkansas' willingness to play at UNC's tempo should work in the Tar Heels' favor. Getting into transition and scoring within the flow of UNC's primary and secondary break also have the effect of making both the passes and shots easier. In short it simplifies matters for a team that either tries to do too much or is impatient.
Both teams rebound well on the offensive end with UNC being slightly better. However, Arkansas' defensive rebounding is not great which could provide the Tar Heels a bit of an edge. Of course UNC hasn't needed to lean as much on missed shots as a means to score with the Heels hitting over 50% from the field over the past three games. If the hot shooting can continue in a game played at UNC's pace the Tar Heels should be in excellent position to advance.