North Carolina opens NCAA Tournament play in the South Region on Thursday, and unlike past years when it came in as a No. 6 seed or lower, the Tar Heels draw a dangerous first-round matchup with No. 11 seed VCU.
The Rams have reached the NCAA Tournament 15 times since 2004. In those 15 appearances, they have advanced out of the first round five times, a stretch that includes a win over No. 6 seed Duke in 2007 and their memorable Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2011. With an expectation of not just making the field but winning games in March, VCU represents a far tougher opening test than many of the Tar Heels’ recent first-round opponents.
VCU enters the tournament at 27-7 overall and went 15-3 in Atlantic 10 play, sharing the regular-season title with Dayton. The Rams captured the A-10 tournament championship with wins over Duquesne in the quarterfinals, Saint Joseph’s in the semifinals and Dayton in the title game.
The Rams are 2-5 against Quad 1 opponents, with victories over South Florida and a road win at Dayton, and losses to NC State, Vanderbilt, Utah State and Saint Louis twice.
Here are three players from the Rams to keep an eye on.
Guard Terrence Hill (6-3, 180)
Hill, one of two Rams named first-team All-Atlantic 10, is a combo guard who can score at all three levels and is an effective slasher, adept at creating drive-and-kick opportunities. Despite coming off the bench, Hill leads VCU in scoring at 14.4 points per game and in assists at 2.8 per game, earning Atlantic 10 sixth man of the year honors.
Forward/Center Lazar Djokovic (6-11, 235)
Djokovic is the Rams’ other first-team All-Atlantic 10 pick and a crucial presence in the frontcourt. At 6-foot-11, he is an athletic, skilled big who thrives in pick-and-roll action and can stretch defenses with his shooting. Djokovic is hitting 35.6% from 3-point range and is averaging 13.5 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 51.4% from the field.
Guard Nyk Lewis (6-1, 195)
Lewis was named the Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year after averaging 8.7 points and 4.5 rebounds. A former top-100 recruit, he chose VCU over several power-conference programs. He also was a high school teammate of North Carolina point guard Derek Dixon at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC vs. VCU: What to know about the Rams’ key players