North Carolina aims for Sweet 16 return against Texas A&M
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) No. 2 seed North Carolina (26-10) vs. No. 7 seed Texas A&M (21-12)
Second round, West Region; Charlotte, North Carolina; 5:15 p.m. EDT on Sunday.
BOTTOM LINE: The Tar Heels are trying to repeat as national champions and reach a third straight Final Four. They'll face an Aggies team that was up and down (peaked at No. 5 in the AP Top 25, but started 0-5 in the Southeastern Conference) but offers a tough matchup with their interior size against UNC's small-ball lineup.
BOARD WORK: The game matches two of the nation's best in rebounding margin. The Tar Heels are second (plus-10.2) despite a more unconventional approach that has them chasing down offensive rebounds, while the Aggies are 19th (plus-6.3) thanks to their size with 6-foot-10 bigs Tyler Davis and Robert Williams - who combined for 29 rebounds in Friday's win against Providence.
POSTSEASON ROLL: The Tar Heels have won 12 of 13 NCAA Tournament games going back to a 2016 run to the title game.
CLOSE MARGINS: Texas A&M's past four games have been decided by four or fewer points. The Aggies won 61-60 at Georgia, beat Alabama at home 68-66, lost to Alabama 71-70 in the SEC Tournament and beat Providence 73-69 in the NCAA opener.
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