Losing a third-straight Tuesday game, this time against Syracuse on Tuesday, Feb. 13, put a huge dimmer on the UNC men’s basketball team’s quest for a top seed in March Madness.
North Carolina’s first of three Tuesday losses in the New Year came on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at Georgia Tech, which is just one game ahead of ACC cellar-dwellar Louisville. The Tar Heels beat Duke that Saturday, then lost at home to a hot-and-cold Clemson squad.
UNC rebounded with a Saturday victory against Virginia Tech, a matchup in which Armando Bacot dominated the paint with yet another double-double, but it essentially has to win out for a chance at a one seed.
In the latest USA Today bracketology, North Carolina (20-6, 12-3) is set to face a rejuvenated, Alan Huss-led High Point University squad in the opening round of March Madness.
With how the Tar Heels have been playing defensively recently, this matchup could pose a few problems.
The Panthers (22-6, 11-2), who own the tiebreak over UNC-Asheville for first place in the Big South, sport the country’s seventh-best scoring offense at 84.9 points per game. High Point sports four double-digit scorers – Duke Miles (team-best 17.8 ppg), Kimani Hamilton (15.8), Kezza Giffa (15.6) and former Minnesota transfer Abdoulaye Thiam (12.1).
Don’t forget that UNC is also capable of shutting down high-scoring teams, as it limited each opponent to 70 points or fewer during its 10-game win streak.
Bracketology is almost guaranteed to change, so there’s no guarantee North Carolina will matchup with HPU.
Regardless of who the Tar Heels play, they’ll have to re-discover that defensive intensity if they want to win a seventh NCAA Championship.
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