Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: Tar Heels fall to a 2-seed in Bracketology

By Zack Pearson

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 15: Coby White #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts to their 74-73 loss to the Duke Blue Devils in the semifinals of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 15, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 15: Coby White #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts to their 74-73 loss to the Duke Blue Devils in the semifinals of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 15, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

We take a look at where the Tar Heels stand in latest Bracketology from media outlets following Friday’s game against Duke

Friday’s showdown between North Carolina and Duke was indeed for a No. 1 seed, at least in the eyes of bracket predictors.

Entering the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals, the Tar Heels were listed as a No. 1 seed in Joe Lunardi’s updated Bracketology with the Blue Devils as a No. 2 seed. But following that game on Friday, the teams essentially switched places.

Lunardi has updated his Bracketology to reflect Friday’s results and now the Tar Heels are the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region. Taking UNC’s spot is Kentucky, who won their game on Friday and advanced to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament on Saturday.

The Wildcats will play their third game against Tennessee when the two teams meet again on Saturday for a trip to the SEC title game.

For UNC, any chance they want at a No. 1 seed would mean that Kentucky would have to lose on Saturday or not win the SEC title game. It’s in their best interest to have a team like Florida or Auburn to win the SEC rather than the Wildcats or Volunteers.

There’s also Michigan State.

The Spartans have a very slim chance at a No. 1 seed, sitting as a No. 2 seed in the South Region right now. But stranger things have happened. If the Spartans beat Wisconsin and then Michigan for a third time, is there a chance they will be a No. 1 seed?

Lunardi’s other No. 1 seeds are Virginia and Gonzaga. Both appear to be cemented into those spots, especially the Cavaliers.

Next. 5 reasons why UNC can win it all. dark

As we go into Saturday’s session and just over 24 hours until the committee releases their official bracket, let’s take a look at where UNC stands in other bracket projections:

Joe Lunardi Bracketology (Updated March 16) — No. 2 seed in Midwest vs. No. 15 Colgate. Top 4 seeds: No. 1 Kentucky, No. 3 Houston, No. 4 Wisconsin. Notable seeds: (5) Virginia Tech, (7) Buffalo, (8) Syracuse.

Bracketville (Updated March 16) — No. 2 seed in Midwest vs. No. 15 Bradley. Top 4 seeds: No. 1 Kentucky, No. 3 Kansas, No. 4 Wisconsin. Notable seeds: (5) Virginia Tech, (7) Buffalo, (8) Seton Hall, (10) Ohio State.

Jerry Palm on CBS Sports (Updated March 16) — No. 2 seed in Midwest vs. No. 15 Colgate. Top 4 seeds: No. 1 Kentucky, No. 3 Houston, No. 4 Wisconsin. Notable seeds: (5) Virginia Tech, (6) Marquette, (9) Syracuse, (12) Murray State.

Brad Evans Yahoo Big Board (Updated March 16) — No. 3 overall team. Evans moved UNC up from No. 5 to No. 3. Virginia and Kentucky are the only two teams ahead of the Tar Heels in his rankings, with Duke at No. 6.

As you see above, most mock brackets have the Tar Heels as a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region which could end up being a nightmare. Depending on what the committee does with Kansas, we could be looking at a UNC/Kansas Sweet 16 in Kansas City.

Kentucky is a very good team and beat UNC on a neutral court once already this season and Wisconsin is no slouch.

There is still a chance UNC can get that No. 1 seed but it would take a lot of work.

Home/UNC Basketball