VCU is riding a high into the NCAA Tournament and North Carolina might be trending in the other direction.
The teams will meet in the South Region’s first round Thursday night in Greenville, S.C.
Sixth-seeded North Carolina (24-8) is trying to regain a flow that existed earlier in the season. Since the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, coach Hubert Davis said he has been encouraged by the team’s approach.
“The mindset has been there,” Davis said. “It has been good to get back to practice and just work on consistency. … We just have to get back to that against VCU.”
The Tar Heels lost consecutive games for the second time this season with last Thursday’s 80-79 setback to Clemson in the ACC tournament quarterfinals.
At practice early this week, Davis said there was a competitive edge on display that he appreciated.
“I’d like to bring that chippiness to Greenville,” he said.
No. 11 seed VCU (27-7) played as recently as Sunday, winning the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament. The Rams have won 16 of their last 17 games under first-year coach Phil Martelli Jr.
“This was a resilient group from Day 1,” Martelli said. “They just had it.”
The Rams and Tar Heels have never met before.
“I know they’re good,” Martelli said of the Tar Heels. “Obviously, a rich tradition there.”
With star freshman forward Caleb Wilson out for the season following surgery for a broken thumb, North Carolina is led by center Henri Veesaar’s 16.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
Identifying the right matchups against VCU is going to be critical.
“Very athletic, versatile,” Davis said in describing the Rams, “which allows them defensively to do a number of different things.”
Terrence Hill Jr. leads VCU with 14.4 points per game and Lazar Djokovic is the other double-figure scorer at 13.5. A total of seven Rams chime in with more than seven points per outing.
VCU averages 81.6 points per game compared to North Carolina’s 79.8. The teams are nearly even in points allowed — VCU at 71.5 and North Carolina at 71.3.
“These guys, they’ll be ready,” Martelli said of his team. “They’re not going to be shying away from any challenges.”
The Tar Heels are aware that the Rams have been prolific at times at getting to the free-throw line.
“We’ve got to be a good defensive team,” Davis said. “We’ve got to defend without fouling.”
North Carolina went 7-6 in 13 games against teams in the NCAA Tournament. VCU earned an automatic bid for the third time in four years.
The Rams haven’t won an NCAA Tournament game in 10 years, while North Carolina drips with tournament history, with its 134 victories the most of any team. The Tar Heels won in the first round all three previous times they held a No. 6 seed.
The Tar Heels last played in Greenville in the 2017 first and second rounds on the way to winning a national championship.
“I’m sure it will be a heavy Carolina crowd,” Martelli said.
The North Carolina-VCU winner meets either third-seeded Illinois or No. 14 seed Penn on Saturday in the second round.
