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The Tar Heels (32-6) are a No. 1 seed out of the East region and earned their bid when they were crowned ACC tournament champions. The Orange (23-13) were given an ACC at-large bid and are a No. 10 seed.
North Carolina Tar Heels
G Joel Berry, 6-0, So. (12.8 ppg, 3.6 apg)
G Marcus Paige, 6-1, Sr. (12.3 ppg, 3.7 apg)
F Justin Jackson, 6-8, So. (12.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
F Brice Johnson, 6-9, Sr. (17.1 ppg, 10.5 rpg)
F Kennedy Meeks, 6-9, Jr. (9.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
Coach: Roy Williams (13th season)
Syracuse Orange
G Trevor Cooney, 6-4, Sr. (12.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
G Malachi Richardson, 6-6, Fr. (13.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
G Michael Gbinije, 6-7, Sr. (17.6 ppg, 4.4 apg)
F Tyler Roberson, 6-8, Jr. (9.0 ppg, 8.4 rpg)
C DaJuan Coleman, 6-9, Sr. (4.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
Coach: Jim Boeheim (40 seasons)
— For the 19th time in school history (and fourth under coach Roy Williams), the Tar Heels will be in the Final Four. With Williams at the helm, UNC has won the tournament two of the four times it reached the Final Four.
— The Tar Heels have scored an average of 89.25 points per game in the tournament, with the most most points coming from their 101-84 win over No. 5 Indiana in the Sweet 16.
— Johnson, who leads the Tar Heels in tournament play with 21 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, posted a double-double over the Orange when the teams met on Feb. 29.
— If Syracuse upsets North Carolina, it will be the first time in tournament history a double-digit seed has reached the title game. Only three other double-digit seeds have been to the Final Four, but Virginia Commonwealth (2011), George Mason (2006) and LSU (1986) were all knocked out in that round.
— The Orange’s defense has been on point, holding Dayton to 51 points, Middle Tennessee to 50, Gonzaga to 60 and Virginia to 62. It will provide a great clash to North Carolina’s powerful offense.
— Boeheim has already defeated Roy Williams where it matters: In the 2003 NCAA championship game. Williams was coach at Kansas at the time, but Boeheim’s Orange proved they can take on a Williams squad where the pressure is the most extreme.
The Tar Heels and Orange tip off at 8:49 p.m. ET on Saturday in Houston. The game will be aired on TBS.