Know Your Opponents: Charlotte Subregional

By Bobby Hundley

Lipscomb
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Rankings: No. 164 KenPom, NR AP
Record: 23-9, 10-4 Atlantic Sun
Bid: Automatic (Defeated FGCU 108-96 in A-Sun final)
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 1-0 (UNC 80, Lipscomb 66, Nov. 12, 2010, Smith Center)

The fastest team in the fastest conference is Carolina's first round opponent, as Casey Alexander's Lipscomb squad enters the tournament ranked fifth nationally in KenPom's adjusted tempo ranking. To explain just how frantic the Atlantic Sun was in 2018, consider this - NJIT was the slowest team in conference play at 69.5 possessions per game, a number that would rank right between UNC and Duke in the ACC.

Junior all-conference performers Rob Marberry and Garrison Mathews lead the Bisons on offense. Marberry is just 6-7 but is a beast inside, where he makes almost 63 percent of his 2s. Mathews is the dangerous combination of a volume outside shooter who also gets to the foul line at a high rate. The 6-5 wing is making 39 percent of his 3s against D-I foes and ranks 63rd nationally in free throw rate.

Defensively, Lipscomb's strength lies in its rebounding. Led by 6-9 junior Eli Pepper, the Bisons are among the top 25 nationally on the defensive glass, a stat that will be crucial against the Tar Heels. The Bisons held both Stetson and Jacksonville to less than 1.00 PPP in the A-Sun tournament before a wild 108-96 win over top-seeded FGCU in the final, Lipscomb's eighth in a row entering the NCAA tournament.

One other player to watch is sophomore guard Michael Buckland. A native of High Point, Buckland is the younger brother of former Tar Heel women's player and current Presbyterian College assistant Megan Buckland.

Texas A&M
Location: College Station, Texas
Rankings: No. 29 KenPom, NR AP
Record: 20-12, 9-9 SEC
Bid: At-large (Lost to Alabama 71-70 in SEC quarterfinals)
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 2-1 (UNC 96, Texas A&M 62, Dec. 30, 2001, Smith Center)

Texas A&M has been one of the streakiest teams in the country this season. The Aggies kicked off 2017-18 in Germany with a rout of West Virginia and ran off 11 wins in their first 12 games, with the lone loss coming to Arizona in Phoenix. After that was a nightmare 0-5 start to SEC play that included blowout losses to Florida and Alabama and a home loss to LSU in which A&M led by five with 15 seconds left.

After an 11-point loss at Kansas in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 27, the Aggies were 13-8 and just 2-6 in the league. But Billy Kennedy's bunch righted the ship to the tune of seven wins over their final 10 SEC contests to get themselves safely in the tournament.

As has been the case with the best A&M teams under Kennedy, the Aggies are winning with defense. They rank 12th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency by guarding all over the floor with a roster full of shot blockers led by 6-10 sophomore Robert Williams. The two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year has 71 blocks in 27 games and is joined up front by two more 6-10 rim protectors in senior Tonny Trocha-Morelos and junior Tyler Davis.

Offensively, Davis (14.5 ppg) leads a balanced attack that features six players averaging at least 9.0 points per contest. Junior Admon Gilder (40% from deep) is the top outside shooter percentage-wise, though 6-9 junior D.J. Hogg leads the team in attempts and has made 38.5 percent of them. Williams and Davis both make at least 60 percent of their 2s.

While the Aggies aren't great shooters and turn the ball over more than you'd like, they maintain an above-average shot volume by crashing the offensive glass hard. Davis is an outstanding offensive rebounder and he gets plenty of help from both Williams and Trocha-Morelos.

Providence
Location: Providence, R.I.
Rankings: No. 65 KenPom, NR AP
Record: 21-13, 10-8 Big East
Bid: At-large (Lost to Villanova 76-66 in Big East final)
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 4-1 (UNC 85, Providence 66, March 19, 2016, PNC Arena)

Last year it was Arkansas showing up in Carolina's pod for the third time in a decade. This year it's the Friars, who share a first and second round gym with the Tar Heels for the third time in five seasons. Part of that is the randomness of the draw and part of that is the fact that Ed Cooley has turned a program that hadn't made the tournament since 2004 into a consistent winner. This year marks Providence's fifth straight NCAA appearance, a first for a school that has seen some huge names in college basketball roam its sideline.

The Friars were safely in the field of 68 by most accounts prior to the Big East Tournament, but a pair of OT wins over Creighton and Xavier sealed the deal. PC had two shots at the end of regulation to grab the auto bid with a win over Villanova before coming up short in a third straight overtime game.

Providence doesn't jump out at you statistically, but Cooley's club has a precious March commodity - experience. The starting lineup features an almost-unheard-of three seniors, including leading scorer Rodney Bullock and dynamic point guard Kyron Cartwright. Those seniors - 6-7 shooter Jalen Lindsey is the third - will have vivid memories of last year's second-half collapse against USC in Dayton.

One number to watch should the Tar Heels and Friars get together on Sunday - Providence ranks 24th nationally in 3-point defense, with opponents making just 32.1 percent from deep against PC. Of the eight teams with better 3FG defense still in the field, four are top-3 seeds.

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