The North Carolina Tar Heels are in the NCAA Tournament proper after stomping San Diego State, 95-68, in a wholly dominant First Four game on Tuesday night.
Up next is Ole Miss, a No. 6 seed that made it out of the SEC slugfest with a few cuts and bruises but landed some knockout blows along the way. These Rebels are good — and the Heels will enter as sizeable underdogs.
What if UNC wins? Then wins again? And again?
Crazy? Yes! March? Always.
If UNC starts ripping off wins in March Madness, this is how its path could look.
Projected second round opponent: Iowa State Cyclones
Oddly enough, this might be an easier game than Ole Miss in the first round — and that's not Iowa State's fault. Fully healthy, they are a Final Four team, but they are not fully healthy entering the dance.
Guard Keshon Gilbert is out for the NCAA Tournament, and his absence lowers the Cyclones' ceiling pretty considerably. This team is no slouch, even without Gilbert, and should beat Lipscomb in the first round handily.
But an Iowa State team without Gilbert is beatable, and if the Tar Heels are still dancing at this point, they'll be doing so with loads of confidence.
Projected Sweet 16 opponent: Michigan State
A Sweet 16 battle of two blue bloods would be pretty great for the NCAA Tournament. At this point, the Tar Heels have smashed every expectation that even the most irrational residents of Chapel Hill held entering the tourney.
Michigan State would be a different kind of test for UNC — the Spartans possess an incredibly tough defense and UNC's offense would be under pressure for 40 minutes.
I do not think UNC could beat Michigan State. But that's not the point of this article! So onward we go!
Projected Elite Eight opponent: Auburn
I know these projected opponents are a little chalky, but I don't think any of them get knocked out before the rounds UNC could potentially play them in.
An Elite Eight trip would likely match the Heels up with the SEC regular season champs, the Auburn Tigers. Not fun!
Projected Final Four opponent: Florida
Hey, if you're going to beat one of the elite SEC teams, might as well beat another, right?