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UNC Basketball: How the Tar Heels can secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament

By Brandon Griffin

Feb 17, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson (11) reacts in the second half. The Duke Blue Devils defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 74-73 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 17, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson (11) reacts in the second half. The Duke Blue Devils defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 74-73 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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How does UNC get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament? We break it down.

So here we are just one weekend away from the craziest week in college basketball…Championship week. During this time, teams with no hope find hope as they try to win five games in five days sending ripples busting bubble after precious bubble.

Thankfully here in Tar Heel nation, UNC fans have not had to worry too much about bubble bursting. Unlike past years, this Carolina team has been a top ten team all season long. So with a tournament lock already secured what do the Heels have to play for in regards to the Big Dance? Well a one seed of course.

Why does a one seed matter so much? Well I am glad you asked. In the past 25 years 43 percent of all final four participants were one seeds. Think that isn’t too great? Well the next closest seed is the two seed at 21 percent, and it only gets worst from there.

So with a one seed on the line, what do the Heels need to do to secure that precious commodity? To fully answer that question, the KIH rankings guru has taken a step down from his mighty rankings perch (don’t worry Carolina Boys and Girls, rankings will still come before the ACC tournament). So here are three things UNC needs to do to secure a one seed.

Beat Duke

This is the first step the Heels need to take if they want to secure a one seed. If Carolina wins they clinch a share of the ACC regular season title. Winning a conference regular season does not guarantee a one seed, ask Virginia about that. However it does add just another gold star to a resume that may separate it from other resumes that lack that, like Xavier or Oklahoma.

Also beating Duke on Saturday means that the Heels would walk out with the one seed in the ACC Tournament. A one seed in the ACC tournament means the Heels would likely face Syracuse instead of Notre Dame. In the semis, Carolina would be more likely facing Duke instead of Miami or Virginia. The one seed makes the road easier for the next thing the Heels need to do.

Make the ACC Championship Game

Feb 9, 2016; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson (44) celebrates after scoring against the Boston College Eagles during the first half at Silvio O. Conte Forum. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2016; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson (44) celebrates after scoring against the Boston College Eagles during the first half at Silvio O. Conte Forum. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

It is definitely not a requirement for a one seed to win their tournament and take home the automatic bid that comes with it. Since Roy has been at UNC, both of his championship teams lost in the semifinals. Despite that he still walked out with a one seed in both NCAA tournaments. However because two of the teams that UNC is fighting with for a one seed also play in the ACC, I feel at least an appearance is a must.

Oddly enough, even though Carolina hasn’t won an ACC Championship since 2008, they have played in four of the final five championship games. Of course they have also lost all four. Again though not winning the conference tournament is not the end of the world. Three of the last four national champions did not win their conference tournaments. Honestly the bigger question isn’t whether the Heels win the game but who they play.

Hope Virginia loses

The third thing that the Heels need is the one thing they don’t have any control over unless they meet the Cavaliers in the ACC Championship (they could meet the Cavs in the semis but in that scenario, the Heels would lose to Duke, the Cavs to Louisville, and Miami to the Hokies. It is a very unlikely case). If Virginia were to lose to Louisville on Saturday or fail to make the championship game it would make the above scenario almost a one seed clincher for Carolina.

If on the other hand Virginia were to win out and met UNC in the ACC Championship game, the two teams would be playing for a one seed. This happens every year where the committee gets a head start on the bracket and leaves a couple flip flop spots open. In this case the winner would get the one in most likely the South, while the loser got the two most likely in the West.

If Carolina were to lose the above game, I believe a one seed could still be attained but it would require at least four to five other teams to lose before their conference championships. That would mean if Virginia doesn’t lose, Carolina would need to win the ACC Tournament to secure the one seed.

To be fair there are really only eight teams fighting for the four one seeds. Seven of those teams play in three conferences meaning a lot of championship games will probably decide the seeding in the tournament. Of course one never knows when the committee will reward a team that wins neither the regular season nor conference championship, like Duke last year.

If Carolina wants a one seed the easiest thing will be to win out and take it out of the committee’s hands. A one seed does not guarantee a championship or even a final four, but it does make it easier to do either. For Tar Heel fans, anything that makes things easier is a good thing.

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