Why UNC basketball's next two games will make or break the 2024-25 season

After being a No. 1 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament, North Carolina was ranked No. 10 in the nation heading into the 2024-25 season. With the return of Elliot Cadeau and ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis, the Tar Heels had high expectations. Here we are in mid-December and UNC finds themselves playing must-win games.

North Carolina is currently 6-4 and out of the AP Top 25. While this sounds super concerning, UNC has played a very tough non-conference schedule. Kansas, Auburn, Alabama and Michigan State are the four losses the Tar Heels have suffered. All of these teams are in the top 16. Now as we approach ACC play, Hubert Davis finds his squad playing some very crucial games.

North Carolina's next two games are crucial for long-term outlook

So far this season, North Carolina has not been able to beat a ranked opponent. To make the case that they belong in the NCAA tournament this season, they need to prove it now.

On Tuesday, UNC will take on undefeated No. 7 Florida in Charlotte, NC as part of the Jumpman Classic. While this is technically a neutral site game, no doubt the crowd will be a sea of Carolina blue in their home state. This is a prime opportunity for the Tar Heels to prove themselves.

After the matchup with the Gators, UNC will play another neutral site game at Madison Square Garden on Saturday where they will face No. 18 UCLA. The rest of this week will be the last chance Carolina has to beat ranked opponents before ACC play, which they need desperately considering how down the ACC is.

Currently, only Clemson and Duke are ranked in the ACC so even if North Carolina were to go undefeated in conference play, there would be very limited quality wins included in their schedule. The best chance UNC has to prove they belong in the big dance in March may be to take care of business through the rest of December.