By R.L. Bynum
There was good and bad news on North Carolina’s NET ranking even after the Tar Heels’ big 65–57 Saturday victory at Virginia Tech, as they continue to navigate life on the NCAA tournament bubble.
The good was that it gave UNC (19–8, 11–5 ACC) a badly needed Quad 1 victory.
Michigan (14–10) moved up to 29 in the NET rankings after the Wolverines’ 84–70 road win Thursday over Iowa to temporarily make UNC’s 72–51 Dec. 1 victory over Michigan a Quad 1 win.
How that victory will be classified on Selection Sunday matters more, and it’s fluid.
Michigan had a chance to solidify its position Sunday at No. 15 Wisconsin (21 in the NET) but lost 77–63. That dropped the Wolverines’ NET ranking down to 34, meaning that UNC’s win is again, at the moment, a Quad 2 win, leaving UNC’s Quad 1 record at 1–7.
Further bad news was Pittsburgh’s 68–62 home loss Saturday to Georgia Tech, which dropped the Panthers from 160 to 170 in the NET. That changed the Tar Heels’ 76–67 home loss to Pitt on Wednesday from a Quad 3 loss to a damaging Quad 4 defeat.
All of that meant that Carolina only moved up three spots in the NET rankings from 45 to 42 during the weekend.
A Quad 1 game is a home game against a team with a NET ranking of at least 30 or a road game against a team 75 or better. A Quad 2 game is a home game against a team between 31 and 75 or a road game vs. a team between 76 and 135. A Quad 3 game is a home game vs. an opponent between 76 and 160 or a road game against a team between 135 and 240. A Quad 4 game is a home game against a team 161 or lower or a road game vs. a team 241 or lower.
The quad system
Quadrant 1: Home 1–30, neutral 1–50, away 1–75 (UNC’s record in such games is 1–7)
Quadrant 2: Home 31–75, neutral 51–100, away 76–135 (4–0)
Quadrant 3: Home 76–160, neutral 101–200, away 135–240 (8–0)
Quadrant 4: Home 161–353, neutral 201–353, away 241–353 (6–1)
Monday’s 7 p.m. home game against Louisville (ESPN) will be another game that can only hurt UNC’s tournament resume. The Cardinals (12–14, 6–10) moved up six spots to 124 in the NET after Saturday’s 70–61 home win over Clemson. But that still makes Monday a Quad 3 game for UNC, one that it can’t afford to lose.
Carolina’s pursuit of a top-four seed and a double-bye in the ACC tournament got a minor boost with Virginia’s 74–71 Saturday win at Miami that dropped the Hurricanes (19–8) into a third-place tie with UNC at 11–5.
Wake Forest’s 79–74 win over second-place Notre Dame, however, didn’t help the Tar Heels, since it put the Deacs (21–7) only a half-game back of UNC, tied for fifth with Virginia (17–10) at 11–6.
While UNC has the tiebreaker with Virginia, it loses tiebreakers against Wake Forest and Miami.
If Carolina and Miami win the rest of their regular-season games, the Canes would get the No. 3 seed and the Tar Heels the No. 4 seed.
With the challenge of facing Duke in Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game and the Tar Heels inconsistency regardless of the opponent, that will be tough for Carolina. Winning the ACC Tournament with four wins would be even tougher considering the Tar Heels’ lack of depth.
If UNC loses one game the rest of the way, the Tar Heels will need either two Miami losses or one Wake Forest loss to get a double-bye.
Two Miami losses don’t seem probable — with games at Pittsburgh on Tuesday, vs. Virginia Tech on Saturday, at Boston College on March 2 and at Syracuse on March 5 — but it’s possible.
The Deacons only have three games left, visiting Clemson on Wednesday, facing Louisville at home Saturday and finishing at home against N.C. State on March 2.
ACC standings
UNC season statistics
Date | Score, record/ day, time, TV | Location | Opponent (current rank) |
---|---|---|---|
November (4–2) | |||
5 | 83–55 exhibition win | Home | Elizabeth City State |
9 | 83–67 win, 1–0 | Home | Loyola Maryland |
12 | 94–87 win, 2–0 | Home | Brown |
16 | 94–83 win, 3–0 | Road | College of Charleston |
20 | 93–84 loss, 3–1 | Uncasville, Conn. | Y — No. 5 Purdue |
21 | 89–72 loss, 3–2 | Uncasville, Conn. | Y — No. 16 Tennessee |
23 | 72–53 win, 4–2 | Home | UNC Asheville |
December (5–1, 1-0 ACC) | |||
1 | 72–51 win, 5–2 | Home | X — Michigan |
5 | 79–62 win, 6–2, 1-0 ACC | Road | Georgia Tech |
11 | 80–63 win, 7–2 ACC | Home | Elon |
14 | 74–61 win, 8–2 ACC | Home | Furman |
18 | 98–69 loss, 8–3 ACC | Las Vegas | Z — No. 4 Kentucky |
21 | 70–50 win, 9–3 ACC | Home | Appalachian State |
January (6–3, 6–3 ACC) | |||
2 | 91–65 win, 10–3, 2-0 ACC | Road | Boston College |
5 | 78–73 loss, 10–4, 2-1 ACC | Road | Notre Dame |
8 | 74–58 win, 11–4, 3–1 ACC | Home | Virginia |
15 | 88–65 win, 12–4, 4–1 ACC | Home | Georgia Tech |
18 | 85–57 loss, 12–5, 4–2 ACC | Road | Miami |
22 | 98–76 loss, 12–6, 4–3 ACC | Road | Wake Forest |
24 | 78–68 win, 13–6, 5–3 ACC | Home | Virginia Tech |
26 | 58–47 win, 14–6, 6–3 ACC | Home | Boston College |
29 | 100–80 win, 15–6, 7–3 ACC | Home | N.C. State |
February (3–2, 3–2 ACC) | |||
1 | 90–82 OT win, 16–6, 8–3 ACC | Road | Louisville |
5 | 87–67 loss, 16–7, 8–4 ACC | Home | No. 9 Duke |
8 | 79–77 win, 17–7, 9–4 ACC | Road | Clemson |
12 | 94–74 win, 18–7, 10–4 ACC | Home | Florida State |
16 | 76–67 loss, 18–8, 10–5 ACC | Home | Pittsburgh |
19 | 65–57 win, 19–8, 11–5 ACC | Road | Virginia Tech |
21 | Monday, 7, ESPN | Home | Louisville |
26 | Saturday, 2, ESPN or ESPN2 | Road | N.C. State |
28 | Monday, 7, ESPN | Home | Syracuse |
March | |||
5 | Saturday, 6, ESPN | Road | No. 9 Duke |
8– 12 | ACC Tournament | Brooklyn |
WHATEVER! Hubert Davis has been awesome for his first year! The team is great and I wish them the best and thank them all ! They have been through a lot and I am PROUD of them! GO TARHEELS!
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