Analyst believes UNC basketball program can win the 2024 NCAA Tournament

The 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket is officially set, as it's time to debate who are the real contenders for this year's title.

For the UNC basketball program, they earned their 18th No. 1 overall seed, as the Tar Heels have high aspirations for the next few weeks. Jamie Shaw of On3 holds the Tar Heels to that same standard, as he tabbed them as one of seven teams who could potentially win the national championship.

Shaw put North Carolina among his "Next Tournament Title Tier," as they were the first squad listed among his second tier. Houston, Purdue and UConn were named the top-tier favorites for this year's tournament.

Here's what Shaw had to say about the UNC basketball program:

The Buzz: UNC made it to the ACC Championship game before dropping the finals to NC State. Their 81,5 points per game finished No. 23 in DI, while their 62.5 field goals attempted per game finished No. 29. The Tar Heels are led by ACC Player of the Year  whose 21.4 points led the conference while shooting 40.6 percent from three.  is the ACC’s career leader in total rebounds and transfer forward Harrison Ingram finished fourth in the ACC with 9.0 rebounds this season. Davis has led UNC in scoring for 22 of the 34 games. In the 12 games that Davis did not lead the Tar Heels in scoring, they are 11-1. UNC is 16-2 in the games they scored 80 or more points this season. Watch the rebounding battle (UNC averages 41.1 per game) and their amount of possessions that end in shots. 

UNC is the No. 1 seed in the West Region and will play the winner of the Howard and Wagner play-in game. They will play Thursday in Charlotte.

The NCAA Tournament will kick off on Thursday, as the UNC basketball program looks to reach another one of the goals they set for themselves prior to the start of the 2023-2024 season.