NCAA Tournament could pit Tar Heels against a former player

If UNC and Arizona win three games apiece in the West region, they’ll face each other in the Elite 8. Why is this significant?

Just like that, Selection Sunday has come and gone.

Plenty of teams were thrilled to hear their names called, while plenty of bubble teams were disappointed to not hear theirs.

One of the many programs that heard its name was North Carolina, which earned the West Region’s top seed. Even with UNC’s loss to NC State in the ACC championship, losses the previous day by Baylor and Arizona pretty much locked UNC into a No. 1 seed.

Speaking of Arizona, the Caleb Love-led Wildcats ended up in the Tar Heels’ region as the No. 2 seed.

If all goes well for both North Carolina and Arizona, they’ll play each other in the West Regional final on March 30.

I like UNC’s chances in the West, but it’ll have to face either Michigan State or Mississippi State in the Round of 32. The Spartans have a trio of ranked wins against Baylor and Illinois (twice), while the Bulldogs spanked top-seeded Tennessee in the SEC Tournament.

Arizona has to get through Long Beach first, then any combination of Dayton, Nevada, Baylor, Colgate, Clemson and New Mexico. If you’ve watched any NCAA Tournament action in recent years, though, you know the Wildcats have a “choker” status to break.

The Tar Heels play either Howard or Wagner on Thursda in Charlotte, North Carolina, while Arizona will play Long Beach State on Thursday in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Will the two programs face each other on Easter weekend?

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