Despite a tough loss to rival NC State in the ACC Championship Game, the North Carolina Tar Heels did enough to secure the final 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee was bounced out of the SEC Tournament in the quarterfinals in dominant fashion, which allowed UNC to secure the final top seed. Carolina will start its quest to reach the Final Four in Charlotte, North Carolina where the Tar Heels will be very comfortable. Carolina will face Howard on Thursday at 2:45 P.M. ET. We’ve seen 16-seeds beat 1-seeds recently, but I believe the Tar Heels will handle business and face the winner of Michigan State vs Mississippi State. Mississippi State is a physical athletic team that could pose a challenge to Carolina if they don’t play their best. Mississippi State handled Tennessee in the SEC Tournament and plays a game similar to what the Tar Heels faced in 2017 2nd round match up vs Arkansas. In that game Carolina barely got by the Razorbacks and this potential match up vs the Bulldogs could potentially be a similar game. If the Heels face Michigan State, they could be tested as well. This isn’t the best Spartans team, but we’ve seen Tom Izzo pull some magic this time of the year. Either way I think the Tar Heels will find a way to get to Los Angeles.
In the Sweet Sixteen, Carolina could face a combo of either Alabama, Saint Mary’s, Grand Canyon, or Charleston. Of those four teams I believe Alabama will advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Carolina would be familiar with Nate Oats game as Alabama beat Carolina last season. I believe this round will go to the Tar Heels and they will advance to the Elite 8 where they will face……Caleb Love and the Arizona Wildcats. I know this is a match up that a lot of people want to see, and I like Arizona’s path to the Elite 8. The story lines are fit for Hollywood, RJ Davis, the ACC player of the Year, vs his former teammate, Caleb Love, the Pac-12 player of the year. Arizona is a quality team that is Final Four good, but I believe if Carolina plays their best game they can advance past the Wildcats to the Final Four in Phoenix. The last time the Tar Heels made it to Phoenix, it was a memorable trip as they won their last national championship in 2017.
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