UNC Basketball: Tar Heels’ Bracketology outlook after beating Hokies

Where does UNC basketball stand in latest Bracketology projections after beating No. 3 seed Virginia Tech on Thursday night?

The North Carolina Tar Heels have won 10 of their last 14 games — including two wins over ranked opponents in the past five — and worked themselves well off the NCAA Tournament bubble. Now, they’re just playing for a more favorable seed in the Big Dance. Well, that, and an ACC Tournament title, of course.

The Tar Heels’ victory over No. 3 seed Virginia Tech on Thursday night was another statement win for their budding NCAA Tournament resume. The Hokies are the 22nd-ranked team in the nation, and represent another quad 1 win for the Tar Heels as we inch closer to Selection Sunday. And with a game on Friday night against Florida State, as well as possible championship game matchups with either Virginia or Georgia Tech, the Tar Heels have a couple more opportunities for quad 1 victories over the next two days.

After last night’s win, the Tar Heels have moved up another full seed line in Joe Lunardi’s latest iteration of Bracketology. They were a 9-seed going into their contest with the Hokies, but now sit squarely on the 8-line. As Lunardi sees it, that pits North Carolina against 9-seed Connecticut in the first round, with a potential matchup against top-seeded Gonzaga in the Round of 32.

Now, I know a lot of you will say you don’t care what teams lie ahead of the Tar Heels, and that “to be the best, they’ve got to beat the best.” And while I don’t necessarily disagree with that, I think it’s fair to say that the safer path is one that doesn’t include the nation’s best team in the first weekend of the tournament.

That’s not to say that the Tar Heels can’t beat Gonzaga, because I firmly believe they can when they play their best basketball. I still think most fans prefer to see the Tar Heels’ current winning streak in the ACC Tournament extend, and work their way off of that 8/9 line and into a slightly more favorable position.

They’ll certainly have their opportunity to do so, as they prepare to play the No. 15 team in the nation on Friday night, a team that they beat in Chapel Hill just a couple of weeks ago. It’s worth noting that while the Tar Heels have already played back-to-back days, the Seminoles haven’t played since their loss to Notre Dame nearly a week ago — their second round ACC Tournament game against Duke was cancelled due to a positive Covid-19 test within the Blue Devils’ program.

Will the Seminoles come out rested and ready to play in the ACC semifinals, or will they be rusty after missing yet another game? And will the Tar Heels be gassed playing their third game in as many days, or will their current hot streak help fuel them through another round of the ACC Tournament and into Saturday’s title game?

Stick with Keeping It Heel for complete coverage of the Tar Heels’ semifinal game against the Seminoles, and all the latest on the UNC basketball program.