The North Carolina Tar Heels entered Saturday's matchup with No. 1 Duke fresh off the gut punch of Caleb Wilson's season-ending hand injury. Without their star, UNC's March Madness prospects are murky. A majority of bracketologists slotted them in as a No. 5 seed despite the injury news. Will they be able to hold onto that spot after a 76-61 loss to their rivals.
Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- North Carolina enters their ACC Tournament as the No. 4 seed following a disappointing loss to No. 1 Duke.
- A key player’s season-ending injury has already clouded the Tar Heels' March Madness prospects before the blowout.
- The team's performance in the coming games will determine if they can maintain their current seeding or slide further.
On one hand, North Carolina didn't totally let Duke walk all over them early. The Blue Devils led most of the way but it was 39-34 at halftime as the Tar Heels refused to go away. On the other hand, the two teams came out of the break with very different trajectories. Back-to-back threes from Derek Dixon and Luka Bogavac drew the Heels within one point, but from there it was all Blue Devils. Duke led by as many as 25 in the second half as UNC utterly deflated.
What will the March Madness bracketologists do with the Tar Heels now?
UNC bracketology update after loss to Duke
UNC finished the regular season 24-6 and will be the No. 4 seed in the ACC tournament. At this stage, they're a shoo-in for the NCAA Tournament, but their seeding could still be greatly impacted by circumstances.
Now more than ever, the Tar Heels need to have a strong showing in the conference tournament without Wilson. That'll be tough to do considering he led the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. It'll be easier for the Selection Committee to justify a 5-seed or better for UNC if they show some grit over the coming week. If they fall apart, Wilson's absence will loom larger and larger in bracket building..
As it stands, we can expect bracketologists to drop Hubert Davis' team down to a No. 6.
Who does UNC play in the ACC Tournament?
- North Carolina (4) vs. TBD on Thursday, Mar. 12 at 9:30 p.m. ET
North Carolina gets a double bye as the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. They'll await one of Clemson (5), Virginia Tech (12) or Wake Forest (13). The latter two will play in the first round on Tuesday while the former gets a bye.
If UNC passes their first test, they can look forward to a rematch with Duke in the semifinals. That's assuming the Blue Devils get by either Florida State (8) or Cal (9).