North Carolina - Kansas Preview

Final Four
UNC Tar Heels (1) Vs. Kansas Jayhawks (1)
Saturday, April 5 @ 8:47 pm

The UNC Tar Heels, led by Tyler Hansbrough, were massive under the basket, from the field and at the foul line, beating the Louisville Cardinals 83- 73. That earned them a ticket to the Final Four.

Hansbrough put up a double-double for the tournament’s number one seed, putting up 28 points while taking down 13 rebounds. Five UNC players hit double figures in scoring. Guard Ty Lawson threw around 9 assists and put in 11 points. From the outside, guard Wayne Ellington scored 13 points, while grabbing 5 rebounds.

Louisville played good defense versus the Tar Heels, blocking 5 shots and stealing 7 balls. Still, UNC hit 53% from the floor and out rebounded their opponents 31- 26. But, as it often is, it came down to the foul line with UNC putting up 21 foul shots to Louisville’s 16 and hitting 18 to the Cardinals 9.

In their contest, the Kansas Jayhawks found themselves up against the wall with 10th seed Davidson, barely beating them 59- 57. The one thing that Kansas has proven in this tournament is that they can win the blowouts and play tooth-and-nail in the tough, down and dirty games. Basically, they contained standout Davidson player and go-to guy Stephen Curry just enough to win the game.

The Jayhawks took down 33 rebounds to 24 rebounds for their opponents. From the field, the Hawks hit 44% to the Wildcats 39%. The foul line gave Kansas three more points than Davidson, as they outscored them 8 to 5.

The Jayhawks’ Mario Chalmers led the outside attack with 13 points, while center Sasha Kaun hit for a baker’s dozen from the paint. Guard Brandon Rush scored 12 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. The defense blocked 5 shots and stole 5 balls.

The battle between UNC and Kansas should be a good one. For the Jayhawks to win, Tyler Hansbrough will have to be contained. That alone is a huge job. The Tigers are a disciplined team and that will help in their efforts. Either way, there will be two number ones in the NCAA Finals this year and one will come from this game.