Three keys for UNC basketball to beat VCU in NCAA Tournament

North Carolina opens NCAA Tournament play in the South Region on Thursday , and the Tar Heels won’t ease into March. Instead of drawing an overmatched mid-major, UNC gets a seasoned bracket buster in No. 11 seed VCU — the type of opponent that has ended many higher seeds’ runs before they ever got started.

VCU is no stranger to this stage. The Rams have reached the NCAA Tournament 15 times since 2004, building a reputation as one of the country’s most dangerous lower seeds. They have advanced out of the first round five times in that span, highlighted by a win over No.

6 seed Duke in 2007 and their memorable Cinderella sprint to the Final Four in 2011. For a program that expects not just to make the field, but to win in it, another upset bid will not intimidate VCU. The Rams arrive in the bracket with history, confidence and a style of play that has tripped up power-conference opponents before — a reminder that North Carolina’s opening game could be far more treacherous than the seed lines suggest.

Here are three keys to victory for Carolina. Limit VCU’s Sharpshooting Ability VCU’s offense is one of the best in the country, averaging 81. 6 points per game and shooting 36.