By R.L. Bynum
Going to the NCAA men’s tournament is routine for North Carolina but the Tar Heels haven’t had to navigate the dreaded No. 8-seed vs. No. 9-seed matchup very often.
For the second consecutive season, though, the No. 25-ranked Tar Heels (24–9) will have to deal with that assignment.
This time, UNC is the No. 8 seed in the East Region, facing No. 9-seed Marquette (19–12) at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas (TBS). Should UNC win, it would likely face No. 1-seed Baylor (26–6), the reigning national champion, which plays No. 16-seed Norfolk State. If Coach Hubert Davis’ team makes it to the second weekend, it would play in Philadelphia.
“It was really emotional,” Davis said of the NCAA berth. “It’s been a great year, and it’s been a long year. Some people think Carolina being in the NCAA tournament is a given, but it isn’t. I am so proud of what these players have done, they’ve earned the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament. Their commitment to each other and our program has earned them that chance to compete in the NCAA tournament.”
Davis is excited about the NCAA tournament dynamic.
“I love the urgency and the seriousness of a do-or-die situation,” Davis said. “I love the atmosphere of having a chance to win a national championship. I love the competition of playing against the best teams in the country. I love the opportunity to play against different teams you’ve never seen before. All those things. You go through the ups and downs throughout the year and to have an opportunity to keep playing is really special.”
Carolina is 1–1 against Marquette in the NCAA tournament, defeating Marquette in Newark, N.J., in the 2011 Sweet 16 and losing in the 1977 championship game in Atlanta. Marquette beat UNC in the Smith Center last season 83–70.
This is a different Golden Eagles team than the one that won in Chapel Hill a year ago with Dawson Garcia playing and Steve Wojciechowski coaching. Garcia transferred to Carolina but left the team midseason. Marquette fired Wojciechowski, the former Duke player, in the offseason and hired former Texas and VCU coach Shaka Smart.
Returning from last season for Marquette are forwards Greg Elliott (6–3, 185-pound junior) and Justin Lewis (6–7, 235-pound freshman). Lewis leads the Golden Eagles in scoring (17.9 points) and rebounding (7.9) average, with Darryl Morsell (6–5, 200-pound senior) scoring 13.5 points pergame.
This is UNC’s fifth time as a No. 8 seed. As the No. 8 seed in the South Region last season, an 18–11 UNC team lost to No. 9-seed Wisconsin in West Lafayette, Ind., in what turned out to be Coach Roy Williams’ final game.
When the NCAA put Carolina in that game two other times, it worked out pretty well.
In 1990 as a No. 8 seed, UNC beat No. 9-seed Southwest Missouri State 83–70, then upset No. 1-seed Oklahoma 79–77 on Rick Fox’s driving shot at the buzzer before losing 96–73 in a Midwest Regional semifinal to Arkansas.
In 2000 as a No. 8 seed, Carolina beat No. 9-seed Missouri 84–70, then knocked off No. 1 seed Stanford 60–53. That team made it to the Final Four before losing to Florida 71–59 in a national semifinal.
In 2013 as a No. 8 seed, however, UNC lost to No. 1-seed Kansas 70–58 after knocking off No.9-seed Villanova 78–71.
The ACC only has five NCAA teams, the fewest since 2013 when the league only had 12 schools. Duke, Virginia Tech, Miami and Notre Dame also made the field.
Only two players who transferred from UNC are in the NCAA field and they meet in the first round when Brandon Huffman’s No. 15-seed Jacksonville State team faces Walker Kessler’s No. 2-seed Auburn team in the Midwest Region in Greenville, S.C.
NCAA tournament bracket
NCAA Tournament schedule
| Round | Days/dates | City | Arena/stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Four | Tuesday and Wednesday | Dayton, Ohio | UD Arena |
| First/second | Thursday and Saturday | Buffalo | KeyBank Center |
| First/second | Thursday and Saturday | Indianapolis | Gainbridge Fieldhouse |
| First/second | Thursday and Saturday | Fort Worth, Texas | Dickies Arena |
| First/second | Thursday and Saturday | Portland | Moda Center |
| First/second | Friday and Sunday | Greenville, S.C. | Bon Secours Wellness Arena |
| First/Second | Friday and Sunday | Milwaukee | Fiserv Forum |
| First/second | Friday and Sunday | Pittsburgh | PPG Paints Arena |
| First/second | Friday and Sunday | San Diego | Viejas Arena |
| Sweet 16/Elite Eight | March 24 and 26 | San Antonio | AT&T Center |
| Sweet 16/Elite Eight | March 24 and 26 | San Francisco | Chase Center |
| Sweet 16/Elite Eight | March 25 and 27 | Chicago | United Center |
| Sweet 16/Elite Eight | March 25 and 27 | Philadelphia | Wells Fargo Center |
| Final Four | April 2 and 4 | New Orleans | Superdome |
UNC’s record by seed
No. 1: 63–12 — 1979, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2019
No. 2: 23–9 — 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2011 and 2018
No. 3: 3–4 — 1980, 1986, 1999 and 2006
No. 4: 4–2 — 1992 and 2015
No. 6: 3–3 — 1996, 2004 and 2014
No. 8: 7–4 — 1990, 2000, 2013 and 2021
National championship years italicized
UNC season statistics
| Date | Score, record time, day, 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. 9 Purdue |
| 21 | 89–72 loss, 3–2 | Uncasville, Conn. | Y — No. 9 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. 5 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 (7–2, 7–2 ACC) | |||
| 1 | 90–82 OT win, 16–6, 8–3 ACC | Road | Louisville |
| 5 | 87–67 loss, 16–7, 8–4 ACC | Home | No. 7 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 | 70–63 win, 20–8, 12–5 ACC | Home | Louisville |
| 26 | 84–74 win, 21–8, 13–5 ACC | Road | N.C. State |
| 28 | 88–79 OT win, 22–8, 14–5 ACC | Home | Syracuse |
| March (2–1) | |||
| 5 | 94–81 win, 23–8, 15–5 ACC | Road | No. 7 Duke |
| — ACC Tournament — | |||
| 10 | 63–43 win, 24–8 | Brooklyn | Virginia |
| 11 | 72–59 loss, 24–9 | Brooklyn | Virginia Tech |
| — NCAA tournament — | |||
| 17 | 4:30, Thursday, TBS | Fort Worth, Texas | Marquette |
Photo courtesy of the ACC
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