North Carolina routs Indiana to reach Elite Eight

NORTH CAROLINA rolled its way into a Sweet 16 matchup against Indiana by methodically pounding teams down low with a plethora of 6-10-ish space eaters.

It is no wonder Roy Williams' club made only 5.4 threes during the regular season and only 11 in their first two games of this year's tournament.

So naturally, before the first half was even half over, the Tar Heels had made all five of their three attempts, four by guard Marcus Paige. This is, after all, March Madness 2016, where anything can and has happened.

Carolina finished the game with 11 three-pointers, posted all five starters in double figures and steamrolled the Hoosiers, 101-86.

Top-seeded Carolina (31-6) will play sixth-seeded Notre Dame (24-11) in Sunday's East Regional Final. A win Sunday would be the record 19th Final Four appearance for North Carolina, which is seeking its sixth title and third under Williams.

It was just an avalanche of trouble for the Hoosiers (27-8) from the get-go. When it missed a shot at the offensive end, Carolina almost always rebounded and had good run outs. And when it wasn't uncharacterstically draining threes, dump downs in the lane were successful and, if not, offensive rebounds were plentiful.

It's hard to believe anyone in the country is playing better basketball than Villanova right now, but the Tar Heels ain't far behind, if they are at all.

"We haven't been able to shoot it as effectively this year as I thought we would," said Williams. "After about 10 games, all the local (media) said, 'Boy, you're shooting so much better this year.' Then they stopped asking that question. But for us we do want balance.

"So I lean towards starting inside first. But I do think that you've got to have a great balance. But for me inside first is best. If you look at teams that win national championships, I think there's more teams that have won national championships with an inside first outlook than there have been with teams that shoot 35 threes, but that's just my opinion."

When you boast and inside game that features the finesse of 6-10 Brice Johnson (20 points, 10 rebounds), the brute of 6-10, 260-pound Kennedy Meeks (15 points) and steady stream of players that size, Williams' opinion seems to be dead-on, which is what his team was for most of the night, particularly in the first half. The Heels finished the first 20 minutes 18-for-29 from the floor (62.1 percent), including 7-for-8 from three and 9-for-10 from the foul line.

Four minutes and 41 seconds into the game, Paige, who finished with 20 points, had already made all four of his three-point attempts. It was a kick-start to an absolute offensive clinic in which Carolina shot 32-for-62 (51.6 percent) for the game, including 11-for-20 from beyond the arc.

And though Indiana point guard Yogi Ferrell (25) did all he could to try and keep his team in the battle, it really just wasn't a fair fight.

"They play fast, up and down, faster than probably any team," said Ferrell, who finished his career as Indiana's leader in assists. "Fast, kind of like how Iowa plays a little bit, and they rebound the ball really well, with Brice Johnson and his athletic ability. I mean, they've got great inside presence that can score it around the rim with anyone, great guard presence that can shoot it all across the board. So they've got a great overall game."

Now for the third time this season, Carolina and Notre Dame will face each other. Both won at home, but Carolina's victory on March 11 was by 31 points in the ACC Tournament. If their play of late carries over into Sunday, a similar result just may ensue.

@BobCooney76