On Saturday, the 10th seed Syracuse Orange will face the No.1 seed North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament's March Madness Final Four at NRG Stadium in Houston. Will Syracuse pull off an upset this weekend? Let's out find.
North Carolina defeated Syracuse two times during the regular season, but anything can happen in March Madness.
Here are the ways to watch and listen online and on television Orange vs. North Carolina the Saturday's encounter.
Time and Date: 8:49 p.m. ET, April 2, 2016 (Saturday)
Location: NRG Stadium (Houston, Texas)
TV: TBS
Radio: TK99 99.5 FM) or WAER 88.3 FM (local)
Live Stream: NCAA Live
It is expected that the North Carolina Tar Heels will be playing in the semi-finals. After all, they landed No.2 overall seed when the NCAA Tournament field opened on March 13. On other hand, no one thought the Syracuse Orange would also represent the ACC in the second game of April 2 match ups.
Athlon Sports says the Oranges have athleticism that can help them to win against North Carolina. However, the team will likely struggle with the Tar Heels' length. Statistics show North Carolina ranks 12th in the country in rebounding margin, while Syracuse is at 213th. So, the Oranges will need to impose their presence on the paint to prevent the Tar Heels from getting second-chance opportunities.
Furthermore, the Oranges will need to make shots from the three-point line. The team hits 42.2 percent beyond the arc. Malachi Richardson was 3 out of 7 from the outside against Virginia and the Orange will need to him offensively on Saturday. Also, Michael Gbinije has to be efficient if they want to defeat the No. 1 seeded Tar Heels.
For the Tar Heels, they have plenty of players that can dominate under the basket. Their front court rotation is composed of Joel James (6-11), Justin Jackson (6-8), Isaiah Hicks (6-9) and Kennedy Meeks (6-10). Also, let's not forget Carolina's leading scorer and rebounder 6-foot-10 forward Brice Johnson.
Johnson is the team's premiere bigman and the future first round draft pick. He is averaging 21 points and 9.8 boards per game in the tournament. He also made double-double in North Carolina's victory over Syracuse on Feb. 29.
According to Bleacher Report, the Tar Heels will definitely pound the ball inside and get an ugly win. The sports website predicts North Carolina will win over Syracuse with a final score of 70-60.
