Oregon @ North Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 1, 2017 ) Oregon 76, North Carolina 77

Two of college basketball's elite coaches didn't feel so great after their teams' first losses of the season in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis and will match wits when No. 4 North Carolina meets No. 10 Oregon in Friday's third-place game at Paradise Island, Bahamas. Roy Williams and his Tar Heels were soundly defeated by Michigan 73-64 on Thursday before Dana Altman's Ducks took No. 7 Gonzaga to overtime before falling 73-72.

North Carolina, which was 2-for-13 from 3-point range and 10-for-20 from the free-throw line, trailed 60-36 midway through the second half. "We were 5-0 coming in, but it hasn't been a very good 5-0 compared to the way I think we should play and could play," Williams told reporters. "And I've got to do a better job of coaching my team." Oregon trailed by 17 early and erased a five-point deficit in the final 1:13 to force overtime but blew a four-point lead in the extra session. "Our guys battled hard after a bad start," Altman told reporters. "It's on me to get them moving the ball better. It's on me to get them in better sets. ... Our offense has got to be much more efficient than we showed tonight."

TV: 11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (5-1): Freshman guard Cole Anthony averages a team-high 21 points after scoring 22 on Thursday, and also grabs 7.7 rebounds and a club-best 4.5 assists. Junior forward Garrison Brooks (13.5 points, eight rebounds per game) recorded 13 points and eight boards versus Michigan. Senior guard Brandon Robinson had nine points, four assists and three rebounds Thursday in his second game of the season after missing the first four with an ankle injury.

ABOUT OREGON (6-1): Senior guard Payton Pritchard recorded 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals Thursday, lowering his team-high averages of 18.6 points and 5.3 assists. Junior guard Chris Duarte (10.3 points, 5.4 rebounds) matched a career high with 16 points and grabbed a personal-best nine boards against Gonzaga but was 5-for-16 from the field. Senior guard Anthony Mathis entered Thursday's game averaging 13.5 points but was held to two points for the first time since 2017-18.

TIP-INS

1. The Tar Heels allowed a season high in points versus Michigan while scoring their fewest of the campaign.

2. Ducks freshman F C.J. Walker has recorded 12 points in each of his last two games after scoring a total of four in 65 minutes over his first five contests.

3. North Carolina has won all five meetings, including a 77-76 victory in the 2017 NCAA Tournament Final Four en route to winning the national title.

PREDICTION: North Carolina 73, Oregon 72