ESPN College GameDay discusses North Carolina's ceiling

North Carolina has taken its game to another level in recent weeks. The Tar Heels have won five consecutive games — all by double digits — and look like true contenders to reach the Final 4.

The ESPN College GameDay crew spoke Saturday morning about the ceiling for this North Carolina team and how it has gotten higher and higher in recent weeks.

“I think Final 4 is the ceiling for North Carolina. Now do I think Purdue, Arizona, UConn are better teams than North Carolina? I do. I don’t think they’re there yet,” Jay Bilas said. “But they do defend at a high level. It’s four games in a row they’ve held their opponent to 60 or less. They’re getting out and guarding people.”

North Carolina pounded Clemson and NC State in back-to-back games last week and is taking care of Syracuse on Saturday.

The Tar Heels aren’t only playing well on defense but also on offense. Rece Davis said on GameDay that UNC is ranked in the top 15 in both offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency.

“Their transition has gotten better. RJ Davis is having a spectacular year, one of the five best guards in the country. So I like North Carolina’s chances,” Bilas said. “They don’t score as easily as they have in some past years, and they’re not as good of an offensive rebounding team as they have been in past years. But I think North Carolina is legit and they’re getting better. I think it’s North Carolina and Duke in the ACC, without question.”

RJ Davis entered Saturday’s game against Syracuse averaging 20.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

Fellow ESPN analyst Andraya Carter echoed the comments by Bilas. She also believes that North Carolina can reach the Final 4.

“Well, when I watch this team play, I 100 percent believe they can be a Final 4 team. And coach Hubert Davis said, after their NC State win, he said, ‘We’ve identified what allows us to be good in defense and rebounding,’” Carter explained. “When they played at Clemson, Clemson was 1 of 18 from beyond the arc, on their home floor. Clemson averages nine made 3s a game.

“The defensive energy that this team is bringing and that they’re playing with, they’re together on that end, Armando Bacot anchors them on that side. And I think they’ve got some creativity on the offensive side that’s only going to go up as some of these young guys get more confidence.”