Selection Sunday 2016: Projected No. 1 seeds for March Madness

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Mar 12, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels hoist the trophy on the stage after defeating Virginia Cavaliers 61-57 the championship game of the ACC conference tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

East Region: North Carolina Tar Heels

Coming into conference tournament play, the one team that seemingly had the most to prove to the committee for Selection Sunday was the North Carolina Tar Heels. They entered the 2016 ACC Tournament as the top-seed, but were ranked behind the Virginia Cavaliers in the national polls and at No. 7-overall. With a strong showing, though, the belief was that the Tar Heels would be able to play their way into a No. 1 seed in March Madness.

As it turns out, they did everything they could in the ACC Tournament and now are primed to occupy one of the No. 1 seeds. North Carolina ran through the conference tourney and ultimately toppled the Cavaliers in the final on Saturday night. Though the final margin of victory was only four points, the Tar Heels’ run through the conference tournament went a long way in convincing people that they are for real as they seem to finally be scratching their potential.

Brice Johnson is one of the most dominant frontcourt presences in college basketball this season and, along with Marcus Paige and the emerging Joel Berry, the Tar Heels that were the preseason No. 1-ranked team figure to be one of the four No. 1 seeds when the bracket is announced on Selection Sunday.

Next: South: Michigan State

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