UNC vs UCLA: Observations from NCAA tournament Sweet 16 game in Philadelphia
No. 8 seed North Carolina takes on No. 4 seed UCLA seeking to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since winning the 2017 national championship. Should the Tar Heels move on, they’ll face No. 15 seed St. Peters on Sunday.
The New and Observer’s C.L. Brown is on site for the game and will have live observations from the scene at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Any energy left?
Both Carolina and UCLA fans in the arena spent the entire first game cheering hard for the upset-minded Peacocks. Tar Heel and Bruin fans combined with the contingent from St. Peters combined to make it feel like a true road game for the No. 3 seed Boilermakers. There was such a buzz that it almost felt like they wouldn’t have anything left for the actual teams they came to see play.
The irony of it all is that the Peacocks have now beaten No. 2 seed Kentucky, No. 7 seed Murray State and No. 3 seed Purdue. That’s the resume of a team that could also beat a four or eight seed too.
Braced for play
UCLA guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., is wearing ankle braces on both ankles. The Bruins second leading scorer sprained his right ankle in their win over St. Mary’s in the second round. He didn’t participate in full practice all week, aside from just shooting, until Friday when they had it at the Wells Fargo Center.
Jaquez, a 6-foot-7 junior, has led the team over the last five games averaging 18.0 points per game.
Double duty
UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham is present with the men’s team in Philadelphia. But while watching Purdue-St. Peter’s play, Cunningham was frequently checking his phone for updates on the women’s basketball team and their Sweet 16 game against South Carolina in Greensboro.
Pregame reading
- Manek recalls ‘stressful’ moments watching UNC against Baylor from locker room
- UNC looks nothing like Tar Heels team UCLA first prepared for thanks to Brady Manek
- UCLA coach raves about UNC’s Armando Bacot, and other notes ahead of Sweet 16 matchup
- Will key UCLA forward play in Sweet 16 game against UNC? Latest on Jaime Jaquez injury
- On run to Sweet 16, Tar Heels have gotten hot enough to warm Hubert Davis’ heart
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 9:26 PM with the headline "UNC vs UCLA: Observations from NCAA tournament Sweet 16 game in Philadelphia."