North Carolina falls in Joe Lunardi's latest bracketology update
North Carolina is now a projected 12-seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
Lunardi updated his latest bracket on Friday morning, a couple days after UNC’s stunning home loss to Pitt. That loss no doubt impacted the Tar Heels’ résumé — they didn’t even appear on Lunardi’s bubble prior to that defeat.
North Carolina now has a Quad 4 loss this season and is still without a Quad 1 victory. However, there’s still a path to the Tar Heels making it to the NCAA Tournament.
UNC did get some help from Michigan on Thursday night. The Wolverines won the road at Iowa, which should result in a significant bump in their NET ranking. If they get into the top-30, that would mean a Quad 1 victory on North Carolina’s résumé.
The Tar Heels have also been aided by other bubble teams who are struggling. Oregon got blown out by hapless Arizona State on Thursday night, which may be one reason why the Tar Heels are in this bracket and the Ducks are out.
If Lunardi’s projection were to hold true, it would mean North Carolina facing Creighton in a play-in game in Dayton. The Bluejays also have a questionable résumé, but have won four straight games.
North Carolina will have an opportunity to get a Quad 1 victory on the road at Virginia Tech on Saturday. Tipoff is at 4:00 p.m. ET.