Tar Heels Slide in Latest NCAA Tournament Bracket Projection

Despite a recent win over then-No. 18 UCLA, the North carolina Tar Heels find themselves slipping in ESPN’s latest NCAA Tournament bracket prediction.Joe Lunardi, ESPN’s chief bracketologist, dropped the Tar Heels to a No.10 seed in his updated projection released Tuesday. This marks a drop from the previous week’s projection, which came out just hours before UNC’s loss to the now-No. 6 Florida Gators.

A Tough Road Ahead

The Tar Heels (7-5,1-0 ACC) currently sit outside the AP Top 25 Poll and face an uphill battle to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“We need to rack up a bunch of ACC victories,” said fourth-year head coach Hubert Davis. “Every game is crucial at this point.”

In Lunardi’s projection, UNC is slotted in the East Region, facing a potential Round of 64 matchup against the No. 7 seed Maryland Terrapins in Raleigh.

ACC Landscape

The Tar Heels are the fourth-highest seeded ACC team in the projection,trailing the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils (10-2, 2-0 ACC), the No. 6 seed Pitt Panthers (10-2, 1-0 ACC), and the No. 8 seed Clemson Tigers (10-3, 2-0 ACC). Duke, winners of six straight games, is the only ACC team currently ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll.

Looking Ahead

Before diving into conference play, UNC will host their final non-conference opponent, the Campbell Fighting Camels (5-7, 0-0 CAA), at the Dean E. Smith Center on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET (ACC Network).

Tar Heels on the Bubble: A Conversation

Mike: hey Sarah,did you catch ESPN’s latest bracket projection? Looks like things aren’t looking great for the Heels.

Sarah: Oh no, realy? They just beat UCLA, didn’t they? I thought that would bump them up.

Mike: It did, for a little while. They were a 9-seed last week, but Lunardi dropped them down to a 10-seed this week.

Sarah: Wow, that’s tough. They’re starting to slide a bit, aren’t they? What happened?

Mike: Well, the loss to Florida really hurt, even though Florida is ranked now. Plus, they’re still unranked themselves, and Coach Davis knows they need to rack up wins in the ACC.

Sarah: Do you think they can turn it around? They have a good coach.

Mike: Hubert Davis knows what he’s doing, but the competition in the ACC is fierce this year. Duke looks unstoppable and Pitt and Clemson are both looking strong. It’s going to be a tough road.

Sarah: So what happens if they don’t make the tournament? It’s been a while since we’ve missed out, hasn’t it?

Mike: Yeah, it’s been a few years.It would be a disappointment for sure, especially wiht the talent on the team. But they still have a chance. They just need to string together some wins and make a statement in the conference.

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