After a mid-week letdown against Syracuse, Saturday was just the type of game UNC’s men’s basketball team needed.
The Tar Heels played a complete, well-rounded game in a 96-81 victory over Virginia Tech, maintaining their slim, half-a-game lead over Duke in the ACC. North Carolina didn’t have one – but two – players scoring 20 points. Armando Bacot continued his smoking tear, recording yet another double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while RJ Davis dropped a casual 20-piece.
UNC head coach Hubert Davis actually played his bench more, as Seth Trimble (21 minutes) and Jalen Washington (10) each saw the court for a decent time. Jae’Lyn Withers enjoyed an impressive outing, scoring four points in just nine minutes, while Paxson Wojcik played three minutes.
With all that being said, the Tar Heels rose two spots in the latest NET rankings.
Recent bracketology projections now have UNC as a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament, so this rise is certainly helpful. There are four teams for each of the 1-16 seeds, so nine in the NET would put North Carolina as the Big Dance’s top 3-seed.
If the Tar Heels can heat up again and win out, there’s a solid chance they could move into the two or 1-seed range.
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