How to Watch: UNC vs. Wisconsin

It's tournament time, and North Carolina plays their first game Friday, March 19, against the Wisconsin Badgers.

After an unprecedented year with no post-season, things are seemingly back to normal as fans across the country gear up to play for the 2020-2021 NCAA championship.

North Carolina makes their 51st NCAA Tournament appearance, including its 16th in 18 seasons under head coach Roy Williams. The Tar Heels will be facing No. 9 Wisconsin. This is the fifth game between the Tar Heels and Wisconsin. All five have been in tournaments/special events, including three in NCAA Tournament play.

In his pre-tournament press conference, Williams spoke about the details he highlighted on Friday night's game.

"Most of the practices are trying to focus on the defensive end of the floor. As a coach, you always look at your liabilities and try to work on those; we try not to turn it over and try to make shots and try to make sure that we guard to the three-point line. I'd say those three things."

Ahead of the match-up, here is some history of Carolina in the NCAA Tournament: 

• Carolina is 3-1 against the Badgers, all under head coach Roy Williams.
• The schools have split two previous NCAA Tour- nament games with Carolina beating the Badgers in the 2005 East Regional final in Syracuse and Wisconsin knocking off the Tar Heels in the 2015 Sweet 16 in Los Angeles in the West Region.
• Carolina also defeated Wisconsin in the 2011 ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Chapel Hill and the 2016 Maui Invitational title game. 
• Carolina is 16-6 against Big Ten schools in the NCAA Tournament.
• Tar Heel freshmen have started 58 games this season, the sixth most in the country and the most of any team in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
• The 2021 NCAA Tournament is Roy Williams’ 30th in 33 seasons as a head coach (16th as head coach at his alma mater).
• Williams has led the Tar Heels to three NCAA titles (2005, 2009 and 2017) and two other Final Fours (2008 and 2016).• Williams has taken nine teams to the Final Four – four at Kansas and five at UNC. His Jay- hawk teams won regional titles in 1991, 1993, 2002 and 2003.
• He is second all-time in NCAA Tournament wins (79), second in No. 1 seeds (13), third in appearances (30), third in games (105), third in winning percentage among coaches with at least 50 games (.752), third in championship game appearances (6), fourth in Final Fours (9) and tied for fourth in titles (3).
• His teams are 29-0 in first-round games, the best record in opening-round play in NCAA Tournament history.
• This is the fourth time the Tar Heels have been a No. 8 seed. Carolina is 7-3 as a No. 8 seed. In 1990, the Tar Heels beat No. 1 seed Oklahoma in the second round before losing to Arkansas in the Sweet 16; in 2000, Carolina beat top-seed Stanford in the second round and Tulsa in the Elite Eight to reach the Final Four, but lost to Florida in the national semifinals.

• Opponent: Wisconsin Badgers
• Place: West Lafayette, Indiana
• Time: 7:10 pm
• Watch: CBS
• Commentators: Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel, Jamie Erdahl
• National Radio: Westwood one (John Sadak, Jordan Cornette)
• UNC Radio: Tar Heel Sports Properties (Jones Angell, Eric Montross, Adam Lucas)