March Madness Bracketology update: Latest UNC Tar Heels seeding, outlook on Feb. 28

After last season's March Madness absence, there was an overcorrection with the North Carolina Tar Heels in the preseason college basketball polls. As the 2023-24 season has rolled along and with the NCAA Tournament fast approaching, however, Hubert Davis's team has proven that last year was just a blip on the radar.

The Tar Heels sit with a decent cushion atop the ACC standings and have been a perennial Top 10 team in the country for months now. After losing to Kentucky on Dec. 16 in a neutral site contest, UNC basketball won 10 games in a row before falling in a letdown spot to Georgia Tech, but bouncing back to handle rival Duke thoroughly.

Since that winning streak, however, it's been a bit inconsistent for North Carolina, even if they've clearly still been one of college basketball's best. A loss to Clemson in Chapel Hill three days after toppling Duke was tough, as was a stunning upset at Syracuse. But the Heels are coming down the home stretch and still look like a top team entering March Madness.

But how do the latest Bracketology updates view UNC basketball? Let's take a look at where the latest updates have the Tar Heels seeded and what the outlook for this team could be.

UNC Tar Heels Bracketology update: No. 1 seed in March Madness?

There actually isn't a consensus with the UNC Tar Heels among the top Bracketology experts right now. In Joe Lundardi's Feb. 27 update, on the heels of a win at home over Miami for North Carolina, the ESPN expert had the Heels as the No. 2 seed in the East Region, the same region as UConn. That would put them as the No. 6 overall seed by those metrics.

There's a similar feeling from the triumvirate of Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus of USA Today, who also have UNC as the No. 2 seed in the East Region, once again the same bracket as UConn and as the No. 6 national seed.

But then we have CBS Sports Bracketology expert Jerry Palm giving Tar Heels fans what they want. Palm has North Carolina as the final No. 1 seed, joining Purdue, Houston and UConn on the top seed line, and headlining the West Region. That's a difficult draw, it should be said, in the same region as No. 2 seed Arizona, No. 3 seed Baylor and No. 4 seed Creighton.

Given where UNC basketball is being projected overall, though, it feels like a safe bet for now to say they've locked up a top-three seed, barring disaster. With a season sweep Duke on March 9 and a deep ACC Tournament run, though, the Heels could quite easily live up to Palm's projections and secure a No. 1 seed.