It’s not Selection Sunday yet, and Bubble Watch does not have a seat on the NCAA men’s basketball committee. The committee is sovereign in these matters, and we won’t hear its decisions until Sunday.
But if the NCAA awards an at-large bid to North Carolina, the rest of the world outside the committee room will be stunned.
The Tar Heels are done building their body of work for the committee to consider. What’s on the UNC profile?
One thing jumps out immediately: North Carolina had a very different season a year ago, even before the NCAA tournament.
It’s become common to remark of the 2021-22 UNC team, that it too struggled before hitting its stride. It started slowly in ACC play. It lost at home to Pitt. Just like this year’s team.
That’s all true — to a point. Both North Carolina teams started their seasons 12-6 and 4-3 in ACC play. But that’s where the similarities end.
Last season, UNC was then 12-3 in the run up to Selection Sunday. This season? The 2022-23 Tar Heels have since gone just 8-7 over the last 15 games.
Armando Bacot, Caleb Love, R.J. Davis and Leaky Black all returned. For whatever reason, they were far less effective in February and March 2023 than they were the year before.
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