By R.L. Bynum
With Selection Sunday five Sundays away, the No. 7 North Carolina men are projected as a No. 2 seed, and the UNC women are predicted to have a tough road as a No. 6 seed.
Bracket Matrix, which averages dozens of men’s bracket projections, has the league-leading Tar Heels (19–6, 11–3 ACC) as the top No. 2 seed, and every projection has them playing first- and second-round games at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center. Only five of the 94 projections have UNC as a No. 1 seed.
The NCAA selection committee is conducting its selection orientation meeting this week in Indianapolis ahead of a bracket preview show that airson CBS at 12:30 Saturday.
Joe Lunardi’s ESPN projection has the Tar Heels, 10th in the NET rankings, as the No. 2 seed in the East Regional at the TD Garden arena in Boston, where he has No. 1 UConn (22–2, 12–1 Big East) as the No. 1 seed.
Jerry Palm’s CBS projection sees UNC as the No. 2 seed in the South Regional at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, with No. 3 Houston (21–3, 8–3 Big 12) as the No. 1 seed.
Palm has UNC as the third No. 2 seed, with No. 6 Kansas (19–6, 7–5 Big 12) one spot higher. But that came out before the Jayhawks’ 79–50 road loss Monday to Kerwin Walton’s Texas Tech team.
ESPN and CBS each project that three other ACC teams will get into the men’s field: Duke (19–5, 10–3; No. 3 seed in the South in the ESPN projection; No. 4 in the Midwest in the CBS projection), Clemson (16–7, 6–6; No. 6 seed in West; No. 4 in the East) and Virginia (19–6, 10–4; No. 8 seed in the East; No. 8 in the West).
Palm has UNC as the third No. 2 seed, with No. 6 Kansas (19–6, 7–5 Big 12) one spot higher. But that came out before the Jayhawks’ 66–59 road loss Monday to Kerwin Walton’s Texas Tech team.
No. 3 seed in the South in the ESPN projection; No. 4 in the Midwest in the CBS projection), Clemson (No. 6 seed in West; No. 4 in the East) and Virginia (No. 8 seed in the East; No. 8 in the West).
Carolina’s hopes of hosting first- and second-round games in the women’s tournament are likely over after three consecutive losses.
Charlie Creme projects UNC as the No. 6 seed in the Portland 4 regional. He sees the Tar Heels (15–9, 7–5), who have a NET ranking of 29, playing first- and second-round games in Storrs, Conn., with a potential second-round game against No. 15 UConn (20–5, 12–0 Big East) on its home court.
Creme projects eight other ACC teams to also get bids: N.C. State (No. 1 seed in the Portland 4 regional) Virginia Tech (No. 3 seed in the Albany 1 regional), Louisville (No. 4 seed in Albany 3 regional), Syracuse (No. 5 seed in Portland 2 regional), Notre Dame (No. 5 seed in the Albany 1 regional), Florida State (No. 7 seed in Portland 2 regional), Duke (No. 8 seed in Albany 3 regional) Miami (No. 9 seed in the Albany 1 regional).
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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