UNC Basketball still firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble

Heading into their contest against No. 6-ranked Virginia, the UNC basketball program is still considered on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament.

With just one week of the college basketball regular season remaining, the talk has been focused on the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Of course, we all know that the UNC basketball program has been a major headline, as the Tar Heels have been considered a “bubble team” for the last couple of weeks.

Heading into their big-time matchup on Saturday night with No. 6-ranked Virginia, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Tar Heels among his “First Four Out.”

For North Carolina, this particularly isn’t a bad thing, as last year’s team found themselves in the same predicament. Essentially, the Tar Heels can control their own destiny over the next two weeks, as some timely regular season wins and a run in the upcoming ACC Tournament should be enough to earn them a bid.

It will be tough, but it’s doable.

Saturday night starts an important three-game stretch to close out the regular season. For Hubert Davis’ team, they’ll look to build some much-needed momentum heading into the ACC Tournament.

Of course, the Tar Heels would much rather prefer having their spot in the big dance secured. However, it could be worse, as they have put themselves in a spot to control their own destiny and make another end-of-the-season push.

By no means are we saying this team is last year’s group, but it’s important to remember that a few key members have been there and done that before. Let’s see if this year’s group has what it takes to find its way into the NCAA Tournament.

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