UNC Will Win The March Madness Tournament - My Bracket Pick!

[Shame About Ray]

If you got the chance to see North Carolina defeat Tobacco Road rival Duke last Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, you already know exactly why the Tar Heels are going to win the National Championship. Defense.

That’s right – UNC will be victorious in April because of its defense, even though the Heels also have the best offense going in college basketball at an explosive 89.7 points per game.

Trailing the Blue Devils 68-66 with six minutes to go, North Carolina shut down Duke for the rest of the night, coming away with a 76-68 victory to cement its status as the favorite to walk away triumphant in San Antonio. The Tar Heels blocked 15 shots on the night, while holding one of the best teams in the country under 33 percent shooting on its home floor.

This is something new for UNC, often maligned for its lack of commitment on the defense over the past few years. It finally looks like the boys in baby blue grew up and took notice after head coach Roy Williams took the rims off the backboards in the practice to emphasize what needed to happen on the defensive end.

It’s also extremely important that point guard Ty Lawson is back in the lineup, because the speedy floor general runs the show for UNC. Lawson also gives the Heels an elite ball-stopper at the one, something that is pivotal in the world of college hoops.

What’s scary is that Lawson only played 20 minutes against the Blue Devils, which makes you wonder just how good this team is going to be when he’s back at full strength. While UCLA is depending on fluke shots and bad calls, UNC is beating a Final Four contender like Duke on its home floor with its second-best player on the court only half the time.

Their No. 1 option: The most dominant player in the nation, Tyler Hansbrough. Hansbrough (23.1 PPG, 10.5 RPG) is so good that Chapel Hill has just announced that they’re going to retire his jersey after this season even though the 6-foot-9 bruiser is coming back for his senior year. You know you’re the man when you’re still playing and they hang your name from the rafters – at UNC no less.

The only teams that can possibly take out North Carolina have fatal flaws that might see them eliminated without getting a shot at the Tar Heels. UCLA depends way too much on freshman Kevin Love, as multi-talented as the young man is. Memphis has the personnel to deal with Hansbrough and company, but the Tigers shoot a brutal 58.7 percent from the line.



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