The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Saint Peter’s Peacocks will face off in the East Regional Final matchup Sunday, at 5:05 PM in Wells Fargo Arena. This tournament, the Tar Heels have played very well, with wins over No. 9 Marquette, No. 1 Baylor, and on Saturday, when they defeated No. 4 UCLA in the Sweet 16. Saint Peter’s has been the Cinderella story of March Madness this year, the 15-seed defeated No. 2 Kentucky in the first round, No. 7 Murray State in the second, and shocked No. 3 Purdue in the Sweet 16. UNC opened as eight-point favorites, but just as the Peacocks showed us vs. their previous opponents, that doesn’t mean much.
WHAT’S THE PICK?
I think most of us can come to a general consensus that we can’t just look at how Saint Peter’s matches up against their opponents when judging if they’ll win. Take for instance, every game they’ve played during the tournament. However, they haven’t faced a team like North Carolina. While Kentucky, Murray State, and Purdue all rank in the bottom half of college basketball in terms of adjusted tempo, the Tar Heels are 36th in adjusted tempo. UNC will aim to push the pace, and catch the Peacocks off guard before they’re able to get in a defensive set. This North Carolina team presents a challenge Saint Peter’s has yet to face, so I’m taking the Tar Heels -8 in this one.
Prediction: North Carolina 74, Saint Peter’s 61
Possible UNC vs. Duke Final Four matchup? Or will Saint Peter’s continue their run?
We’ll find out on Sunday.
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