North Carolina’s NCAA Tournament chances could very well depend on Saturday’s result against rival Duke in the Dean E. Smith Center. The Tar Heels have been on the bubble for months now mainly due to their 1-10 record in Quad 1 games.
The Tar Heels have one of, if not the toughest non conference schedule in college basketball. But their lack of wins during that stretch is what is concerning.
On Saturday, UNC has another chance at a Quad 1 win and it could be their final one depending on what happens in the ACC Tournament. It’s simple. If UNC wins, they likely enter the field with just the conference tournaments left next week. A loss? Well, they need to go on a run in the ACC Tournament and hope things fall their way.
As we get set for this big game, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has updated his latest Bracketology for the field of 68 and he has UNC in a position they have been in for weeks — in the “first four out” section. The Tar Heels are in that section behind Oklahoma but ahead of Texas and Nebraska.
In the “last four in” section are San Diego State, Indiana, Boise State and Xavier. So North Carolina essentially needs the teams in front of them to lose and they need to win Saturday or make that run.
Let’s see if this Duke game can springboard the Tar Heels like it did in 2022.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball still on outside looking in for NCAA Tournament
