Sweet 16 Recruiting Flashback: North Carolina vs. Indiana

The game: There’s a chance that the very best matchup of the Sweet 16 is being saved for last in the East Region when No. 5 Indiana and No. 1 North Carolina hit the floor of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia at 9:57 PM ET Friday. The blueblood programs have won a combined 10 NCAA Tournaments and appeared in 26 total Final Fours.

THE KEYS

North Carolina has a bit of a two-headed monster at the point guard position but there isn’t anybody left playing better than Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell at this point. The real question is whether or not the Hoosiers can match All-American Brice Johnson. Freshmen Thomas Bryant and O.G. Anunoby have both raised their level of play down the stretch and they’ll need to take it up another notch.

HOW THEY WERE BUILT

Eric Bossi on Indiana: There has been a bit of a love-hate relationship between Indiana fans and Tom Crean over the past few years but he’s gotten the job done. It’s not been a surprise that high-end guys like Ferrell (who was a five-star prospect in 2012) and Bryant (a high-end four-star and McDonald’s All-American in 2015) have produced. However, the job Crean and his staff have done in developing guys like Anunoby and senior guard Nick Zeisloft has been remarkable. When former McDonald’s All-American sophomore guard James Blackmon went down with a knee injury most would have thought it was a wrap but Indiana squeezed everything it could out of a group of studs and borderline recruits.

Bossi on North Carolina: The cloud of potential NCAA penalties hanging over the North Carolina program hurt it badly in the class of 2015. However, the six combined McDonald’s All-Americans that Roy Williams and his staff were able to land between 2012-14 allowed them to remain stocked with big-time talent. Though he wasn’t a McDonald’s All-American, the development of Johnson into an NBA first-round talent and All-American senior has allowed this Tar Heels team to reach a high level. After a dip in 2015, the Heels have another top 10 class on the way from 2016. The Heels can be really good again in 2016-17 if any two of Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks and Justin Jackson can resist the temptation to turn pro.

North Carolina Indiana

STARTERS	STARTERS

Marcus Paige – Senior, 6-2, 175 4-star PG from 2012 class (ranked 34th nationally). Sister Morgan is a senior guard at Wisconsin. 2015-16 Stats: 12 PPG, 38.9 FG%, 33 3PT%, 76.8 FT%, 3.7 APG	Yogi Ferrell - Senior, 6-0, 180 5-star PG from 2012 class (ranked 19 nationally). Averaged 23.4 points and 4.6 assists his senior high school season. 2015-16 Stats: 17.1 PPG, 45.9 FG%, 42.3 3PT%, 82.4 FT%, 5.7 APG
Joel Berry II - Sophomore, 6-0, 195 4-star PG from 2014 class (ranked 27th nationally). Won Gatorade Player of the Year honors three times for the state of Florida, just the sixth player to do that in any state. 2015-16 Stats: 12.8 PPG, 43.6 FG%, 37.4 3PT%, 85.9 FT%, 3.4 APG	Nick Zeisloft - Senior, 6’5” 210lbs Transfer from Illinois State. As a senior in high school, averaged 16.3 points, 6.1 rebounds. 2015-16 Stats: 6.7 PPG, 42.6 FG%, 42.5 3PT%, 90.5 FT%, 1.6 RPG
Justin Jackson – Sophomore, 6-8, 200 5-star SF from 2014 class (ranked 11 nationally). Was named the top home-schooled player in the country his senior year in high school. 2015-16 Stats: 12.1 PPG, 46.7 FG%, 65.8 FT%, 3.9 RPG, 2.9 APG	Troy Williams - Junior, 6-7, 215 4-star SF from 2013 class (ranked 47th nationally). Named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Virginia. 2015-16 Stats: 13 PPG, 52.4 FG%, 32.8 3PT%, 68.7 FT%, 6 RPG
Brice Johnson – Senior, 6-10, 230 4-star PF from 2012 class (ranked 49th nationally). Two-time state champion in the high jump and also played one year as a wide receiver in high school. 2015-16 Stats: 16.8 PPG, 61.9 FG%, 77.8 FT%, 10.5 RPG, 1.5 BPG	Collin Hartman - Junior, 6-7, 215 3-star SF from 2013 class. Currently second on the team in three-point percentage. 2015-16 Stats: 4.9 PPG, 44.9 FG%, 36.4 3PT%, 84.2 FT%, 3.1 RPG
Kennedy Meeks – Junior, 6-10, 260 4-star center from 2013 class (ranked 57th nationally). Lettered in tennis for three seasons at West Charlotte High School. 2015-16 Stats: 9 PPG, 54.5 FG%, 65.3 FT%, 5.8 RPG, 1.1 BPG	Thomas Bryant - Freshman, 6-10, 245 4-star center from 2015 class (ranked 27th nationally). Averaged 17.3 points, 11.6 rebounds his senior year in high school. 2015-16 Stats: 11.9 PPG, 68.9 FG%, 70.2 FT%, 5.7 RPG
KEY BENCH PLAYERS	KEY BENCH PLAYERS
Isaiah Hicks – Junior, 6-9, 235 5-star PF from 2013 class (ranked 16th nationally). Scored 34 points, grabbed a championship game-record 30 rebounds and blocked seven shots in 3-A title game victory his senior year in high school. 2015-16 Stats: 9.4 PPG, 61.5 FG%, 75.2 FT%, 4.8 RPG.	OG Anunoby - Freshman, 6-8, 215 3-star SF from 2015 class. Picked Indiana over Georgia and Iowa. 2015-16 Stats: 4.9 PPG, 58.0 FG%, 44.8 3PT%, 47.6 FT%, 2.6 RPG
Theo Pinson – Sophomore, 6-6, 205 5-star SF from 2014 class (ranked 17th nationally). Won the Elite24 dunk contest and was a McDonald’s All-American. 2015-16 Stats: 4.6 PPG, 39 FG%, 69.4 FT%, 3.3 RPG, 2.9 APG	Max Bielfeldt - Senior, 6-8, 240 3-star PF from 2011 class. Transfer from Michigan. 2015-16 Stats: 8.0 PPG, 51.7 FG%, 44.1 3 PT%, 69.0 FT%, 4.6 RPG
Nate Britt – Junior, 6-1, 175 4-star PG from 2013 class (ranked 90th nationally). Named Gatorade POY for Washington D.C. in 2011. 2015-16 Stats: 5.7 PPG, 38.1 FG%, 33.8 3PT%, 80 FT%, 1.9 APG	Robert Johnson - Sophomore, 6-3, 195 4-star SG from 2014 class (ranked 48 nationally). Chose Indiana over Florida State and Virginia. 2015-16 Stats: 8.1 PPG, 44.9 FG%, 44.7 3PT%, 63.9 FT%, 3.1 APG