North Carolina (33-3) vs. Connecticut (32-4)

The Tar Heels are trying to reach the Final Four for the fifth time in the 1990s. If they do, Bill Guthridge will set a record for wins by a first-year Division I coach with his 34th. Connecticut has never made the Final Four, losing in regional final games in 1990 and ’95. The Huskies have another chance after surviving Washington’s upset bid on Richard Hamilton’s last-second shot off a tipped rebound for a 75-74 victory. Connecticut likes to run and press, but the Tar Heels take pride in their ability to play a full-court or a half-court game. Connecticut’s most dynamic players are freshman point guard Khalid El-Amin and sophomore swingman Hamilton, and both are capable of 30-point games. The more difficult matchups are inside, where 6-11 center Jake Voskuhl doesn’t have the quickness of the Tar Heels’ Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter, and Kevin Freeman is only 6-7.

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HOW THEY MATCH UP Regular-season statistics *--*

N.C. Category Conn. 33-3 Record 32-4 82.8 Avg. Pts. 77.0 65.7 Opp. Pts. 63.6 17.1 Margin 13.4 .523 Field Goal% .460 .384 Opp. FG% .390 .376 3-Pt FG% .360 .321 Opp. 3-Pt% .315 .713 FT% .734 7.5 Reb. Margin 4.4 0.2 TO Diff. 2.1 6.9 Avg. Steals 8.6 4.9 Avg. Blocks 4.1

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