Here’s everything you need to know about South Carolina’s Sweet 16 opponent
Opponent: North Carolina (26-8, 10-6 ACC)
NCAA tournament seed: No. 4
NCAA tournament history: National Championships: 1 (1994); Final Four appearances: 3 (1994, 2006, 2007); NCAA tournament appearances (26)
Last game: In a game full of runs, comebacks and emotions, North Carolina topped fifth-seeded Ohio State 86-84 in Chapel Hill on Monday night. The Tar Heels looked destined to run away with a blow-out victory, leading by 18 points come halftime. But the Buckeyes showed some bravado and tied the game in the final seconds before North Carolina freshman guard Jamie Cherry hit the game-winning jump shot for the Tar Heels.
Best win: Like South Carolina, North Carolina plays in a very talented, but tough conference, and the Tar Heels played several ranked teams. To date, South Carolina’s best win is arguably a 71-63 victory over Florida State in February. Ranked No. 7 at the time, the Seminoles are now the No. 2 seed in the Greensboro region.
Last head-to-head matchup: South Carolina lost to North Carolina 65-58 in the Sweet 16 of the 2014 NCAA tournament in Stanford, California. Diamond DeShields, who has since transferred to Tennessee, led the Tar Heels with 19 points. A poor shooting performance forced South Carolina to play in catch-up mode for the entirety of the night, as the Gamecocks never held a lead.
Player to watch for: Now a sophomore, North Carolina guard Allisha Gray proved just how talented she is through an impressive freshman season, and her second season at the college level has been nothing short of great, either. The way Gray plays often times serves as a barometer of how the Tar Heels are doing as a whole. When Gray is in the zone, she has the ability to elevate her teammates’ level of play, too. Gray averages 15.9 points per game and is also second on the team in rebounding.
Needless to say, Gray is the catalyst that drives North Carolina’s fast-paced offense. When Gray’s at her best, North Carolina is usually playing at a high-level offensively.
With that said, if South Carolina can slow down and contain the Sandersville, Georgia native, North Carolina should have a tough time scoring against a South Carolina defense that has held opponents to only 34.4 percent shooting.
Look for South Carolina junior guard Tiffany Mitchell, the Gamecocks’ best perimeter defender, to defend Gray.
Head coach spotlight: Now in her 29th season coaching at North Carolina, Tar Heel head coach Sylvia Hatchell is one of the sport’s most admired and respected figures. Hatchell missed the entire 2013-2014 season as she received chemotherapy treatments for leukemia. Even though North Carolina advanced all the way to the Elite Eight without Hatchell around, her value to the Tar Heels is immeasurable. With 961 career wins, Hatchell has more victories than any other active women’s coach and her win total is second all-time behind former Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt. Hatchell has a reputation of being well-liked by her players and some think of her as a mother figure.
Biggest weakness: North Carolina’s one-two punch of Gray and sophomore forward Stephanie Mavunga is very good. The duo combine for 30.4 points and 17.5 rebounds per game. However, the Tar Heels lack the depth needed to survive a bad performance by either player. Junior forward and Columbia, South Carolina, native Xylina McDaniel has been injured since December and with her out, North Carolina lacks a reliable scoring option outside of Gray and Mavunga.
If either of those players struggle against South Carolina, the Tar Heels might be in trouble.
How South Carolina can take advantage: At this point in the season, there are no secrets. Everyone pretty much knows what each team’s strengths and weaknesses are and what you see on film is most likely what you’ll see on the court. For South Carolina, the scouting report says that the Gamecocks’ frontcourt and depth are their strengths.
South Carolina can and should depend on both of those strengths against North Carolina.
While Mavunga is the Tar Heels’ tallest player at 6’3”, South Carolina has four players 6’4” or taller. The main reason why the Gamecocks’ shoot an impressive 48.3 percent from the field is because they get close and easy looks at the basket. Even when Syracuse tried to create a logjam down low, South Carolina still registered 42 points in the paint.
With the size differential down low between South Carolina and North Carolina, the Gamecocks ought to be able to win the battle in the trenches.
The depth which South Carolina possesses should come in handy as well. Even if the Tar Heels try to push the pace, the Gamecocks have the fresh legs needed to keep up.