The 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket is out and it's time for the Tar Heels to silence the haters. Hubert Davis and Co. have been given a six seed, which means a dance with No. 11 VCU is on the way in the first round. VCU barely snuck into the tourney after winning its conference title.
UNC learns its March Madness fate and lands in a loaded NCAA Tournament region
Come Thursday, the Heels are going to want to send a statement, as a potential second-round meeting with No. 3 Illinois will be on the way. With that said, should UNC not overlook VCU for this upcoming matchup? That's what the oddsmakers seem to be hinting at, as Carolina has opened favored by only 2.5 points. Seriously?
UNC basketball is only favored by 2.5 points against VCU in the NCAA Tournament
Only 2.5? That must be what a lot of people are thinking, but at the end of the day, this is nothing for Davis and his players to worry about. Instead, North Carolina needs to find a way to bounce back and take care of business after back-to-back losses.
This group is clearly missing 5-star freshman Caleb Wilson, as this team hasn't played with the same kind of physicality - that was on full display against Duke and Clemson. Now, plenty of doubters think UNC is going to lose in the first round, but we're not on that list.
VCU was on the outside looking in for the rest of March Madness, but an Atlantic 10 Conference title allowed them to sneak in. NCAA Tournament Committee Chair Keith Gill confirmed that during the Selection Sunday show on CBS.
Call us naive, but even with North Carolina being so inconsistent, something tells us Henri Veesaar, Seth Trimble and others are going to rise to the occasion and move on to the second round. Should that happen, the Fighting Illini will likely be waiting.
Those two teams of course have some history, with UNC taking them down in 2005 with the national title on the line. It's a win that's never going to be forgotten among the Tar Heel faithful. First, VCU is up and they will have a stunning win on its mind. It'd be a major setback for Davis if that happens, but something tells us UNC will show up angry and hungry to prove a point in this one.