Joe Lunardi left no choice but to place UNC in tournament field under protest

For the North Carolina Tar Heels, early March typically comes with excitement. Preparation for the NCAA tournament is usually at the top of the priority list for UNC at this point in the year. There is no doubt that this spring will provide some excitement but could very well be shadowed with anxiousness.

UNC started the season ranked 10th in the nation. After dropping seemingly every 'Quad 1" game they played and going on a couple losing skids, the Heels quickly found themselves on the bubble, having to fight for an NCAA tournament bid. As of late, Hubert Davis' squad has turned a corner and has impressed during their current six-game winning streak. The biggest question is, have they been impressive enough to earn the respect of the NCAA committee?

Joe Lunardi adds UNC to his 'Last Four In'

North Carolina is in a unique situation to make their case for the field of 68. After this recent resurgance, the Heels are 20-11 overall and have climbed to 4th place in the ACC with a 13-6 conference record. Those records sound more than deserving of a bid to the big dance, right?

Well, North Carolina only has one 'Quad 1' win all season. They will have a chance to add another one to their resume on Saturday against their arch rivals, the Duke Blue Devils but that is a tall order. The NCAA committee and Joe Lunardi have showed in the past that the lack of good teams in the ACC could come back to bite North Carolina when it comes down to decision time.

The SEC has quickly leapfrogged the ACC to take the thrown of the best college basketball conference. They currently have eight ranked teams in their conference and even Oklahoma, who is 18-12 overall and 5-12 in conference play is in Lunardi's 'First Four Out'.

Don't misunderstand here; yes, the SEC is stacked. However, looking at Oklahoma's resume and seeing them on the bubble has to make you question if there is SEC bias among the committee. Sure, they have a few 'Quad 1' wins, but when literally half of your conference is ranked, you are going to have a lot more opportunities.

North Carolina has done exactly what they needed to do. They put their heads down, worried about themselves and controlled what they could. They will need to continue this mindset into Saturday and, at the very least, play a competitive game with Duke. It will likely still take this and a couple of ACC tournament wins to put UNC in the NCAA tournament, but they are on the right track and Joe Lunardi finally agrees.

No doubt some people will look at Lunardi's updated 'Bubble Watch' and become irate because they feel like North Carolina has moved into the 'Last Four In' solely based on their name. Some may say that Lunardi and the committee just need to prove they do not have SEC bias. The fact of the matter is, they seem to be finding their identity and have started clicking at the right time and deserve to be taken seriously.