RALEIGH, N.C. — This year’s NCAA Tournament features a top tier of teams that are heavy Final Four favorites, starting with No. 1 overall seed Duke and star freshman Zion Williamson.
Figuring out how to stop them won’t be easy, though some clues might be in weaknesses that showed when they lost.
Duke
It starts with 3-point shooting and free-throw shooting, though the Blue Devils typically overcome both behind the brilliance of Williamson, fellow freshman RJ Barrett and a tough defense led by Tre Jones.
Duke shoots 30.2 percent on 3s, the worst mark of any tournament team and worst in program history. The struggles stood out in a loss to Syracuse (9 of 43 against the zone) and in losses to UNC (8 of 39 in the first, 8 of 32 in the second).
At the free throw line, 69 percent could be a problem for the Blue Devils in a close game.
Virginia
Virginia again has a tough defense and methodical tempo offense, a combination that tests the discipline and patience of its opponent. Behind Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter, the Cavaliers own their most efficient attack since coach Tony Bennett’s breakout season there in 2014.
If they struggle for stops and get behind, it can be difficult to reverse momentum with fewer possessions to work with thanks to their pace — illustrated in Friday’s loss to Florida State in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
FSU played with an aggressive edge and shot 57 percent, increasing the pressure on Virginia’s offense to offset those troubles. But the Cavaliers shot 42 percent and made 5 of 24 3-pointers as they fell behind, and they aren’t built to score in bunches in a comeback bid.
That showed last year in the unprecedented loss to 16-seed UMBC, a game in which the Cavaliers fell further behind as history unfolded.
North Carolina
The Tar Heels have three scorers capable of big games with Cameron Johnson, Coby White and Luke Maye. And they’re at their best when loose in transition or attacking the glass.
Things get tougher when the pace slows.
Despite its rebounding prowess, UNC lacks a true post scorer — a staple of Roy Williams’ best teams — and can struggle matching up with bigger teams. And its perimeter strength makes the team more dependent on the 3.
In the Virginia loss, the Tar Heels couldn’t push tempo, had season lows of 61 points and 76 possessions, and shot 9 of 30 from behind the arc. The trouble from 3 resurfaced in the ACC Tournament loss to Duke.
Gonzaga
The Zags have KenPom’s most efficient offense (125.1 points per 100 possessions) and a solid frontcourt with Rui Hachimura, Brandon Clarke and the return of Killian Tillie. Gonzaga is the only team to beat a fully-healthy Duke squad this season.
But the Zags struggled on the perimeter in the West Coast Conference Tournament title game against Saint Mary’s. Their guards couldn’t increase the tempo, so Gonzaga had to grind out halfcourt possessions and made just 2 of 17 3-pointers in the 60-47 loss.
The Zags also had trouble on the boards in their three losses.
