Tar Heel Blog - All PostsTar Heel born, bred, and working on that third thinghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49603/tarheelblog-fav.png2024-03-18T13:00:00-04:00http://www.tarheelblog.com/rss/current/2024-03-18T13:00:00-04:002024-03-18T13:00:00-04:00UNC can bounce back from losing the ACC Tournament
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament Championship-North Carolina vs North Carolina State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gTB38VborH6bVWn-T35SQWvYylo=/0x0:4139x2759/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73215553/usa_today_22796443.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>While disappointing, UNC losing the ACC Tournament championship isn’t the end of the world. </p> <p id="YHJFxL">Let’s get some of this out of the way before some fans hop on here and may misunderstand what this post is about. </p>
<ul>
<li id="lKset3">Obviously if you’re going to play a game you want to win the game</li>
<li id="oiwUno">You especially want to win a game you're playing against a team playing their fifth in five days</li>
<li id="z9ewYR">The loss on Saturday night stings </li>
<li id="WG6kgf">What NC State did to pull off that win — not only beating UNC, but Duke and Virginia before with that miraculous three to get to Overtime — is remarkable and deserves a ton of praise. </li>
</ul>
<p id="3nCRyH">This post is not about devaluing that game. This post could have been made had Carolina lost on Friday night. </p>
<p id="Wobria">We clear? Great, let’s move on. </p>
<p id="Q3bWpO">It seems like it happens every year — as we get into March we take an event that is the antithesis of the NCAA Tournament and try to project how a team will do. It’s an easy mistake to make. Instead of a hodgepodge of conference games going on at once, you have a spotlight all to yourself and more attention gets placed on one game. People forget a ton of factors about these conference tournament games that won’t happen in the next few weeks. </p>
<p id="khVNey">Would it surprise you that only nine teams since 2001 have pulled off the sweep? That’s nine teams in twenty-two tournaments (remember no tournament in 2020). The last team to pull this off was Villanova in 2018, before that, Louisville in 2013. The last time an ACC team did it? Duke in 2010, and they also have the previous sweep in 2001. </p>
<p id="ibnRwT">As far as Carolina is concerned, they have only pulled this sweep twice — 1957 and 1982. 1957 makes sense because you had to win your tournament in order to make the field, and in 1982 you might as well have had to. There were only 48 teams in total that made it to the field, and with first round byes built it, it was very likely that by the time you would play as a conference tournament champion, you would be facing conference tournament champions. </p>
<p id="5ppJwk">The expansion of the tournament to 64 teams in 1985 changed how teams approached these “win at all costs” events. There was an increasing likelihood that a really good team already knows that they are a) in the field and b) will have a high seed and thus will approach these tournaments with a different mindset. With these conferences getting bigger, it’s also more likely a higher seed that’s “cold” will run into a team that has some games under its belt, which takes out a top seed. </p>
<p id="L8D4GD">So this is all before we get into how different the conference tournament set up is to the NCAA’s. You’re usually playing squads for the first time who don’t have the practical experience of how to beat you, and vice-versa, so you’re more likely to be able to play your game. You only have to play two games over a three-day span, and then you get another three or four days before your next two games in three days, and then you get about a week before the final two in three day stretch. To win a conference tournament you have to at least win three games in three days. It’s a completely different mindset where you don’t get a chance to learn from your mistakes. </p>
<p id="6FKw1D">Finally, there’s just the fact that it’s really tough to win nine games in a row, at any point in the year. Even under optimal circumstances where you get some rest and can focus, things happen. You’ll have a tough shooting night or someone will get into foul trouble, and before you know it you’ve suffered a loss. The longer you go without a loss the more likely it is you’ll run into these issues, and more likely it is it’ll happen when it’s the last loss of your season. </p>
<p id="GSiExB">So you could tell yourself that you wish they had lost on Friday against Saturday just because of the grief that ensued, but honestly Carolina probably needed that win Friday in order to move up into the one seed line. Carolina also did the one thing they had to make sure to do and win on Thursday, as no title winner had lost in the first day of their tournament. </p>
<p id="7MLySO">There’s also merit in losing at some point in the tournament as your weaknesses become exposed and everyone’s attention will be higher in a loss than in a win. It’s so tough as a team to go from confetti raining on them and hoisting a trophy to hearing about what they have to do to improve. Having your nose rubbed in a loss? That’ll get your attention. </p>
<p id="KCdaZe">We’ll see if the trends hold true this year. Of the top eight seeds, only UConn and Iowa State won their conference tournaments. UConn has been considered unstoppable this season so they may buck the trend, but the odds tell us it’s more likely history will repeat itself. If you’re a Carolina fan, this is good news. </p>
https://www.tarheelblog.com/2024/3/18/24104360/unc-basketball-north-carolina-tar-heels-acc-tournament-loss-ncaaAl Hood2024-03-18T11:00:00-04:002024-03-18T11:00:00-04:00UNC Basketball: Breaking down the West Region of the NCAA Tournament
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: Notre Dame at North Carolina" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2nTLyNVdnr3qzHSSBUkokMWhwVI=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73215240/usa_today_22702611.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Can the Tar Heels return to the Final Four in Phoenix? </p> <p id="p0JCej">Last night we learned that UNC earned the No. 1 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. They will begin their journey in the NCAA Tournament against the winner of Tuesday’s game between Wagner and Howard. This will be the Heels’ 53rd time playing in the NCAA Tournament, and it will be 18th time that they entered the event as a one-seed, both being NCAA records. </p>
<p id="K3IQRb">As one could expect there have been a lot of thoughts about what the West Region looks like for the Tar Heels, so naturally we wanted to discuss who is in the field, who could potentially be tough matchups, and opening betting odds for the Heels winning the NCAA title. Let’s start by discussing who UNC’s potential opponents are. </p>
<h2 id="3bf7eA">The Field in the West</h2>
<ul>
<li id="5Cn0PG">#1 North Carolina Tar Heels</li>
<li id="V33BDx">#16 Howard Bison / Wagner Seahawks</li>
<li id="9jUwUU">#8 Mississippi State Bulldogs</li>
<li id="Fg0HYR">#9 Michigan State Spartans</li>
<li id="DqxOIe">#5 Saint Mary’s Gaels</li>
<li id="kd4b9x">#12 Grand Canyon University Lopes</li>
<li id="w8rECu">#4 Alabama Crimson Tide</li>
<li id="9UmtKW">#13 College of Charleston Cougars</li>
<li id="GJ5EFD">#6 Clemson Tigers</li>
<li id="GuekXv">#11 New Mexico Lobos</li>
<li id="ncj9NR">#3 Baylor Bears</li>
<li id="aTspft">#14 Colgate Raiders</li>
<li id="c2U0Jo">#7 Dayton Flyers</li>
<li id="8uYtlu">#10 Nevada Wolfpack</li>
<li id="mzzag9">#2 Arizona Wildcats</li>
<li id="3gTRmQ">#15 Long Beach St. Beach</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="q65KTy">Breaking Down the Region</h2>
<p id="4feDvR">Let’s get the obvious out of the way: the biggest advantage for any one-seed in the tournament is matching up with the 16th seed, and one would have to think that the Tar Heels should fair well against either Wagner or Howard. Should they resist the urge to join the Loss to a 16th Seed Club, they will face off against either Mississippi State or Michigan State. Facing one of the Bulldogs or the Spartans will likely be one of the harder obstacles of their path to the Final Four — Mississippi State took down Tennessee twice this season, and Michigan State should never be underestimated in the month of March. </p>
<p id="Ki2y8C">Should the Tar Heels get to the second weekend, it would be reasonable to expect either Saint Mary’s or Alabama to be waiting for them. In the event that something crazy happens, UNC could also face off against either Charleston or Grand Canyon University. Saint Mary’s facing off against the Tar Heels is a reasonable bet, especially since Alabama didn’t do especially well against some of their ranked opponents in the SEC during the regular season. </p>
<p id="0RdYOH">Finally, what we’ve already started hearing about over the last 12+ hours: should the Tar Heels make the Elite Eight, Arizona, Baylor, Clemson, or Dayton could be waiting on the other side as far as higher-seeded opponents. The analysts on CBS have basically put down their life savings that we will see the Heels face off against Arizona in a “Caleb Love Game,” but Carolina fans are very aware that there is no promise that it will happen. While Love has been better this season in a blue and red jersey, he has still had some sub-30% shooting performances after jacking up 15+ shots. A good version of Caleb Love can make this game happen, and the same goes for RJ Davis if we’re being honest. More and more we’ve seen Davis struggle with how teams are guarding him now, but if he can catch fire offensively like we’ve seen him do so many times this season, perhaps we will get what CBS desperately wants. </p>
<p id="GjMirD">I won’t try to predict who would be waiting in the Final Four for the Tar Heels because honestly I have no idea. I don’t see this tournament being as chalky as other analysts have seen it, but I do feel decent about UConn returning to the final weekend. As for the other two, Purdue doesn’t deserve the trust of any college basketball fan, and Houston just had a clunker of a game against Iowa State. It’s also worth noting that the Cougars had a rather uninspiring non-conference schedule, so do with that what you will. </p>
<p id="GoYUz2">Overall, I do think the Tar Heels have a reasonable path to get back to the Final Four. Vegas also agrees if you are into that kind of thing — they gave UNC the fifth-best odds (+1300) to win the NCAA championship <a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/march-madness--odds">per Draftkings.com</a>. The downside to them potentially having the easiest path is that it will look pretty bad if they don’t at least make it to the second weekend, but it would probably be understandable if they didn’t make it to the Final Four if they were to lose to an Arizona or a Baylor — since you know, the Big 12 is the best conference in the country according to ESPN, so why would a loss to Baylor be embarrassing? UNC has a huge opportunity in front of them, and it will be up to them to capitalize on it. </p>
<p id="Umh8tW">What are your thoughts on the West Region? Do you think UNC drew the best teams to go up against? Also which team do you think poses the biggest threat? Let us know in the comments below. </p>
<p id="MaSmiV"></p>
https://www.tarheelblog.com/2024/3/18/24104473/unc-basketball-tar-heels-ncaa-tournament-west-region-breakdownBrandon Anderson2024-03-18T09:00:00-04:002024-03-18T09:00:00-04:00UNC Basketball: Stock Report - Week 19
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament Championship-North Carolina vs North Carolina State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/C98kY8P1uFZzoeL9ny1jO2lxRkE=/0x0:3901x2601/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73214889/usa_today_22795136.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Carolina fell one game short of an ACC Tournament title, but did enough good work to seal up a #1 seed out west.</p> <p id="uUm1pb">The manner of UNC’s loss to NC State in the ACC Tournament final no doubt soured the mood, but after a strong showing in the quarter and semi-finals, the Tar Heels do have some tailwind heading into the NCAA Tournament. They’ve earned their first #1 seed since 2019 and they get to play their first two games in Charlotte. More importantly, they avoid UConn in their regional.</p>
<p id="d1kl9K">Let’s take a look at the players’ stock as he head into “win or go home” territory.</p>
<h2 id="2UcZAQ"><strong>STOCK UP</strong></h2>
<p id="IOqlF3"><strong>RJ Davis:</strong> Your ACC Player of the Year led the team in scoring in all three games, averaging 24.3 ppg. He scored at all three levels and got buckets deep into the shot clock.</p>
<p id="TfuiEg">RJ received specialized attention on defense, but he continues to be Carolina’s ace-in-the-hole. He gives UNC the “Kemba Walker” ability of being able to single-handedly get points when the offense breaks down, and heaven help you if he goes on a heater. Other players may raise the floor, but RJ Davis will determine the ceiling.</p>
<div id="Hd0yzT">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> Ice in his veins <br><br> ESPN | <a href="https://twitter.com/UNC_Basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNC_Basketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/WKDVvWyh6l">pic.twitter.com/WKDVvWyh6l</a></p>— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) <a href="https://twitter.com/accmbb/status/1768802407620735373?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p id="TX1Xfd"><strong>Armando Bacot:</strong> Ignore DJ Burns and his career-game in the championship game. Carolina will not face another player in the country like him, especially when he’s in the midst of having a generational moment.</p>
<p id="0CaPHi">Bacot was huge, especially against Pitt. If Carolina runs into a match-up against a team with unequal quality in the post, he can single-handedly put them in foul trouble as he did with the Panthers. Federiko Federiko and Guillermo Diaz Graham took turns going up against Bacot and ended the game with seven fouls between the two. They also combined for just 10 rebounds. Bacot had 11.</p>
<div id="zO2nbb"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fsk-LDarj1g?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="nHTne8">In Carolina’s three games, Bacot had a double-double in each one and was a great help defender. DJ Burns and his unique problem set flummoxed UNC for the first time this season, but expect more of the Florida State/Pitt defense out of the fifth-year senior in the West region.</p>
<h2 id="nUdGXj"><strong>HOLD</strong></h2>
<p id="rWrDvf"><strong>Elliot Cadeau:</strong> Cadeau had a supreme effort in the quarterfinals against Florida State, showing the same hustle and desire that overwhelmed Duke in the regular season finale. The offense flowed to such great effect that the Seminoles all but quit in the middle of the second half.</p>
<p id="dNuBOI">That was the high point. Against Pitt, he only played 20 minutes (despite not being in foul trouble) while Seth Trimble played a tournament-high 24 minutes. Overall, he was 0-7 from three in the tournament, and only shot 29.6% from the floor. Teams sagged off of Cadeau, and he didn’t have the success at the rim we’ve grown accustomed to seeing at the end of the regular season.</p>
<p id="1doAjC">Cadeau’s playmaking remains top notch, but he’s let some careless turnovers creep into his game, and it looks like teams are figuring out ways to cope with him. The team offense runs so much smoother with him running the point, so it’s imperative that Cadeau get smooths out his rough edges in the first two rounds before things get really spicy. </p>
<h2 id="SRsLmW"><strong>STOCK DOWN</strong></h2>
<p id="KtIXrf"><strong>Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan:</strong> These two are getting lumped together as Carolina’s “third scorer.”</p>
<p id="lPk1zs">RJ Davis and Armando Bacot have been here for Carolina two years ago during their miracle Final Four run. But without Caleb Love and Brady Manek on the floor, they must have at least one of these two (preferably both) contributing double-digit points, if for no other reason than to make scoring easier for Davis and Bacot.</p>
<p id="2PDEgR">Ingram breached double-digits once, scoring 10 against NC State on 3-11 shooting (3-9 from three). Ryan had a perfect complimentary game against Florida State (14 points, 5-7 shooting, 3-4 from three), but then only scored 3 points (1-9, 1-6) against Pitt, and 8 against NC State (2-7, 1-5). To Ryan’s credit, he hit a timely three-pointer that got wiped off due to a Jalen Washington illegal screen that would’ve brought the Heels to within two.</p>
<p id="yvlNXy">Carolina can survive performances like these in the first round, maybe the second. But once the Heels head to Hollywood, they need the Ingram and Ryan that came to play against Duke.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="AzfW6R">
<p id="72X774">Hopefully everyone has their PTO arranged for this Thursday and Friday. If not, start faking a cough and some sniffles on Wednesday afternoon. Carolina will have to make sure they have their A-game in place by now. The loss to NC State was their last gimme. It’s win or go home from now on.</p>
https://www.tarheelblog.com/2024/3/18/24103766/unc-north-carolina-tar-heels-basketball-stock-report-acc-tournament-rj-davis-armando-bacot-cadeauMichael McKay2024-03-17T18:33:56-04:002024-03-17T18:33:56-04:00UNC is the No. 1 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament Championship-North Carolina vs North Carolina State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d0Ak5oDA95guU2bNVhx62yscg7c=/0x0:2606x1737/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73213881/usa_today_22796536.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Another one. </p> <p id="GpXjeL">UNC has been awarded a one-seed in the West Region, joining UConn, Purdue, and Houston in this year’s NCAA Tournament. This announcement comes off of the heels of Hubert Davis’ team suffering a disappointing 75-84 loss to NC State in the ACC Tournament championship game. Now the team will reset and prepare to make a deep run and hopefully make their way to Phoenix later this month. </p>
<p id="RoCSLp">This will be UNC’s 53rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They have played the second-most tournament games in NCAA history (180), and hold the current record for most wins with 131. They also have appeared in the most Final Fours (21) and have the third-most NCAA Tournament titles in college basketball history. Finally, this is the 18th time the Tar Heels have earned a No. 1 seed, which is more than any other program. </p>
<p id="Pmgp6b">UNC will kick off the NCAA Tournament in Charlotte, NC when they take on the winner of the Wagner vs. Howard game this Thursday. Should they make it out of the first round they will move on to take on the winner of the game between Mississippi State and Michigan State this Saturday. </p>
<p id="XQ1NaP">Tomorrow morning we will break down the West Region of the bracket and what their path to the Final Four would look like. Until then, what do you think of where the Heels’ landing spot in the NCAA Tournament? Let us know in the comments below. </p>
<p id="R3KDw0"></p>
https://www.tarheelblog.com/2024/3/17/24103579/unc-basketball-tar-heels-one-seed-west-region-ncaa-tournament-march-madnessBrandon Anderson2024-03-17T15:20:03-04:002024-03-17T15:20:03-04:00UNC vs. NC State: Player of the Game - RJ Davis
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament Championship-North Carolina vs North Carolina State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4BfJHUWx6PwuEDz0q6meHvmTyyk=/0x0:3881x2587/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73213529/usa_today_22795812.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>All gave a little. One gave a little more.</p> <p id="TSOm37">Well, these are always tough whenever the Tar Heels take an L and there’s really no one in particular you can point to and say, “<em>They</em>, at least, had a great game.”</p>
<p id="OTL1cH">No one player had a stand-out performance on Saturday night in the ACC Tournament Championship game and it seemed like this was just a team-of-destiny type thing for the Wolfpack who take home their first ACC title in 37 years and bully their way into the NCAA Tournament. Good for them and stuff.</p>
<p id="Cl1OJZ">In the end, NC State shot 55% from the field, 43% from three. Was it bad defense or just great/lucky offense or maybe a combination of both? On the flip side, Carolina only shot 37% for the game.</p>
<p id="zxnOHp">Saying this in the most monotonous and unenthusiastic of tones, the Player of the Game for the Heels was RJ Davis. Again. It’s not that RJ did anything spectacular, it’s just that no one else did much of anything, period. RJ finished with a team-high (though inefficient on 10-26 shooting) 30 points to go along with six rebounds, five assists, and two steals. He tried his best to put the team on his back and do everything but it just wasn’t in the cards for him tonight.</p>
<p id="E8UES9">Armando Bacot would be first runner-up. He had 18 points and 12 rebounds to achieve yet another double-double and surpass Ralph Sampson for second all-time in the ACC, just two behind Tim Duncan. However, he allowed DJ Burns to go 9-12 from the floor plus seven assists. It just wasn’t a matchup that worked for Armando like it had in the previous two meetings this season. Not really sure why it took so long for the double-teams to eventually start happening but it was too little too late.</p>
<p id="JMdmaH">The only other nominee for consideration is Elliot Cadeau. Although at times he seemed to be a little overwhelmed and out of control, he was only ultimately discredited with one turnover to go against eight assists, plus four points and four rebounds. </p>
<p id="QObTnu">Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan both had lackluster performances, going only 5-18 from the field and the bench was underwhelming, contributing only six points on the night.</p>
<p id="xQc7D3">Going into this contest, I thought to myself, if everybody has a great game, no one in the country can beat this team. Instead, the reverse occurred and nobody had a great game. Yet Carolina still only lost by eight in a game that was close throughout.</p>
<p id="OIhAKM">I’m an optimist by nature, to a fault my wife would probably say. I’ll go away with this. In 2008, UNC overcame Clemson to take the ACC Tournament crown and lost to Kansas in the Final Four. In 2009, they lost in the ACC semifinals to Florida State and destroyed the field in the NCAA Tournament en route to a national championship. Fast-forward to 2016, where the Tar Heels defeated Virginia to win the ACC Tourney only to succumb to Villanova in the NCAA final, followed by the 2017 redemption tour in which they were brought down by Duke in the conference tourney and went on to take home the natty.</p>
<p id="xa8TJO">So losing in the ACC Tournament isn’t necessarily a bad sign of things to come and may in fact be just the opposite. </p>
<p id="yTmSSb">And one more glass-half-full bonus: Kevin Keatts’ contract states that if he wins the ACC Tournament he automatically receives a two-year extension. So there’s that.</p>
<p id="DKF6nM">See you later this evening when the real madness begins.</p>
https://www.tarheelblog.com/2024/3/17/24103535/unc-basketball-tar-heels-nc-state-player-of-the-game-rj-davisJonathan Shuping2024-03-17T11:00:00-04:002024-03-17T11:00:00-04:00UNC vs. NC State: Three Things Learned
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament Championship-North Carolina vs North Carolina State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yE1qcBkPQpo7razZpIQXDZ7wIBQ=/0x0:3005x2003/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73213161/usa_today_22796437.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A shocker in DC.</p> <p id="F6H7Ks">Well, that wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be. North Carolina let a golden opportunity slip through their hands and fell to NC State in the ACC Championship game on Saturday night. As many of us know, the Wolfpack played five games in five days, and it was still enough to dominate the Tar Heels from start to finish. You have to tip your hat to NC State, but there’s much to learn from this inexcusable letdown from North Carolina.</p>
<p id="e2DFo2">Here are three things we learned from Saturday’s loss:</p>
<h2 id="cyCETc">Slow starts are a recipe for disaster</h2>
<p id="FKAWBe">No team will benefit from falling down double-digits early, but it especially hurts the style of play that the Tar Heels rely on. North Carolina is at their best when leading and picking teams apart who are playing desperately. On back-to-back nights, it’s been the Heels with some early desperation as they trailed by nine or more against Pitt and NC State in the first ten minutes. This team has the resilience to battle back, but this time of year, giving teams confidence is the opposite of what North Carolina needs to do in the early minutes. </p>
<p id="W3f9bG">As we’ve seen, when the Tar Heels are playing behind, they can lose their poise. We saw it tonight, as some possessions were rushed and contested when trailing. This cannot become a trend, or it will catch up with Carolina, as the Wolfpack did. </p>
<h2 id="SZFdWj">It can’t all run through RJ Davis</h2>
<p id="kQdx4Y">The Tar Heels are nearly unbeatable when clicking on all cylinders. It’s a matchup nightmare when the ball is shared, and multiple guys contribute. From my perspective, most of the play calls that Hubert Davis goes to include all five guys on the court. When RJ is on, though, things can go away from that. No one loves an RJ takeover more than me, but it can mess up the flow of the offense and ultimately hurt North Carolina. Tonight, he took 26 of UNC’s 67 shots, which caused them to come up short in the end.</p>
<p id="CuSy91">When they face some early adversity like we saw on Saturday, the team cannot turn away from what has gotten them so far. The offense will run through RJ for as long as he’s a Tar Heel, but that doesn’t mean his volume has to increase when things aren’t going exactly as planned.</p>
<h2 id="RnwHjY">It’s March</h2>
<p id="l96NE7">If I sat here and tried to critique every last bit of this loss, I’d be typing until the Selection Sunday show airs. It’s too late in the year to nitpick each flaw and time to accept that it’s March, and the unpredictable always reigns supreme. North Carolina ran into a red-hot and hungrier NC State team that pulled off a historic run in the ACC Tournament. </p>
<p id="DP0Cfn">We’ve reached the point where it’s time to embrace the ride that March Madness takes us on. We can’t expect massive changes and significant corrections. It’s the best time of the year, and luckily, the Tar Heels are in a decent spot. This squad always had bigger goals and aspirations than within the conference, and the opportunity to achieve them remains. </p>
https://www.tarheelblog.com/2024/3/17/24103584/unc-basketball-tar-heels-nc-state-three-things-learned-acc-tournament-championship-gameJack Morris2024-03-17T09:00:00-04:002024-03-17T09:00:00-04:00March Madness 2024: How to watch Selection Sunday show on March 17
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<img alt="NCAA Womens Basketball: NCAA Tournament Seattle Regional-Climate Pledge Arena Views" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zXOIORCFELUkDr7057suJ2MhfnQ=/0x0:8001x5334/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73213025/usa_today_20316814.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Time for the Tar Heels to switch gears and prepare for The Big Dance. </p> <p id="orum6E">We don’t need to talk about last night.</p>
<p id="pkDAzp">Instead, let’s talk about what is in front of us: later tonight the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee will announce the field of 68 that will participate in one of the biggest postseason events in all of sports. Thanks to the Tar Heels’ deep run in the ACC Tournament and some other teams playing poorly in theirs, it sounds as though a one-seed in the West Region is likely their destination. Because we all probably need some silver-lining, it’s also important to remember that it’s been quite a while since UNC won both the ACC Tournament title and the NCAA title. Probably more of a coincidence than a correlation, but one would have to imagine that this team will be that much more determined to get to the Final Four regardless. </p>
<p id="pLtrfK">Aside from the Heels, the other one-seed announcements we can probably expect are UConn, Purdue, and Houston. There’s always a chance that things happen differently than projected by Joe Lunardi and others, but it feels like we can safely expect these teams as locks for those spots. Something to also keep an eye on is which ACC teams managed to earn bids outside of UNC, Duke, and NC State. Lunardi has Clemson safely in the field, but Virginia may be out of luck thanks to the Wolfpack going on an improbable run and earning an automatic bid. </p>
<p id="xNlIEo">As of right now the Tar Heels have the fourth-best odds — +1400 at the time of writing — of winning the NCAA title <a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/march-madness--odds">according to Draftkings.com</a>. One can only hope that the Basketball Gods present them with a bracket that plays in their favor so that they can at least make it to the Final Four again in Armando Bacot’s (and possibly RJ Davis’) final season. The Selection Show will be aired on CBS at 6:00PM/ET. It will also be streamed on Paramount+ with Showtime.</p>
https://www.tarheelblog.com/2024/3/17/24101929/selection-sunday-show-start-time-tv-channel-cbs-march-madness-live-2024-unc-basketballBrandon Anderson2024-03-16T22:56:30-04:002024-03-16T22:56:30-04:00UNC falls to NC State in the ACC Tournament championship
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament Championship-North Carolina vs North Carolina State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eIb5wJmjTtYm7Q_3F5ByyUSE1xg=/0x7:1500x1007/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73212598/usa_today_22796532.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Not enough.</p> <p id="QRHqnI">UNC couldn’t find enough offense or enough defense to wrestle the ACC Tournament championship away from a hungry NC State team on Saturday night in Washington DC. The Tar Heels fell behind early and never found a way to get into a groove on either end of the floor on their way to a 84-76 loss.</p>
<p id="v8vMUP">The Wolfpack won their first tournament championship since 1987 on the backs of DJ Horne and DJ Burns who combined for 49 of State’s 84 points. Horne played considerable time in the second half with four fouls that did little to deter him until he fouled out with just over a minute remaining. As a team, they shot the lights out at a clip that Carolina could not match.</p>
<p id="bPT5Rv">RJ Davis did his best to bail his team out with 30 points. Armando Bacot was the only other Tar Heel in double figures with 18 points and 10 rebounds until Harrison Ingram’s futility three-pointer at the buzzer gave him 10. Even though UNC was able to cut into State’s lead multiple times, they led for just 1:04 of game time. They held a one-point lead at halftime that evaporated quickly. It was a real struggle from there with the Heels finishing the game 1-13 from the field.</p>
<p id="rqB70n">Carolina may have been the fresher team, having had to play just three games to State’s five, but it didn’t show in the effort. For all of the failings of the night, of which there were many, that one was perhaps the most frustrating.</p>
<p id="eeWOmE">There’s an outside chance that the loss could cost UNC a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, their closest competitions for the final #1, Arizona and Tennessee, didn’t even make it to their conference championship games. We will await the selection committee’s decision on that tomorrow evening.</p>
https://www.tarheelblog.com/2024/3/16/24103568/unc-tar-heels-nc-state-acc-tournament-championship-rj-davisTanya Anderson