Keys to Sweet Sixteen Victory for the Alabama Basketball team

The Alabama Basketball team will need solid defense out of its guards to have any chance of winning against North Carolina. Mark Sears showed an improved effort on the defensive end against Grand Canyon with three steals. The Tide will also deploy Rylan Griffin and Latrell Wrightsell, if he's healthy enough to play, on the guard tandem of North Carolina.

Finally returning to the dominant three-point shooting team

The Nate Oats' approach to offense is to either shoot three-pointers or finish at the rim. Over Alabama's last five games, the team has shot 41-132 from three shooting 31.06%. The 31% mark is below the Alabama basketball team's 36.5% mark for the season which could hurt the team against North Carolina.

Over their last five games, the Tar Heels have scored 83 points per game. That is a mark that could be hard to reach for the Tide. However, if the team shoots in the high 30's to low 40% from three they can easily score in the 90's in terms of points. When the Tide struggles to shoot the three well it affects every aspect of the game, especially the defense. If Alabama can upset the Tar Heels it starts with hitting their three-point shots.