After an odd ACC men’s basketball campaign, North Carolina is into the NCAA Tournament after a First Four victory over San Diego State 95-68 in the First Four round to secure an 11th seed with a matchup against 6th-seeded Ole Miss coming up tomorrow afternoon.
Some thought that North Carolina didn’t deserve an NCAA Tournament bid. Syracuse kept North Carolina close in the JMA Dome, but UNC pulled away from SU in the final minutes to avoid an upset, despite a mediocre season.
With historically solid numbers in March Madness, the Tar Heels are no stranger and could make a run at any time, regardless of their up-and-down season to this point. The 2017 NCAA Tournament champions and 2022 Final Four squad can always light a fire in the dance.
However, 8th-seeded Louisville disappointed in a 89-75 loss to 9th-seeded Creighton.
The ACC has drastically changed from what was usually a normalcy for stacked teams to be involved. Virginia didn’t make the tournament. North Carolina is a fringe team. After a deep run to the Final Four in 2023, Miami finished last in the conference. Of course, Syracuse hasn’t made the tournament since 2021 after a national championship in 2003.
This leaves two other squads involved in March Madness: Duke and Clemson. The Blue Devils have always been historically relevant, but the Tigers haven’t. Despite the ACC lacking a general presence in the tournament, Duke remains the overall favorite to win it all.
Jon Scheyer and the top-ranked Blue Devils face 16th-seeded Mount St Mary’s tomorrow afternoon. The lingering uncertainty revolves around the health of Cooper Flagg over the next couple of weeks.
He suffered an ankle injury that kept him out of the ACC Tournament run, but says he is “pain-free” for the opener tomorrow.
