North Carolina is marching on in the NCAA Tournament, being one of the four No. 1 seeds to move to the Sweet 16. The Tar Heels took care of business with double-digit wins over Wagner and then Michigan State to move on.
As we look ahead to the Sweet 16 this week, the Tar Heels along with the three other No. 1 seeds were named one of the biggest winners over the weekend.
Here is what Jordan Mendoza of USA TODAY Sports wrote about the No. 1 seeds in his weekly winners and losers column for the tournament:
No major upsets took place in the first weekend with Connecticut, Houston, Purdue and North Carolina all advancing to the Sweet 16.
It shouldn’t be a surprise for the top seeds in each region to each win their first two games, but what is impressive is that they all have done it in convincing fashion. All No. 1 seeds won by an average of 27.3 points. The closest game was Houston’s five-point win over Texas A&M in overtime in a game where it never trailed after halftime.
No. 1 seeds collectively haven’t done all too well recently, especially when last season was the first time no No. 1 seed made it to the Elite Eight. Now, this is the first time all No. 1 seeds will be in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019. The power at the top of college basketball has been no joke, and they are playing like we could have an all No. 1 seed Final Four for the first time since 2008.
The Tar Heels will continue their march toward the Final Four but have a tough path in their way. Arguably the toughest of the No. 1 seeds
They will face off against a good Alabama team that can put up points in a hurry. If they win that game, they will face off against either Clemson or Arizona.
But the way the Tar Heels and these No. 1 seeds are playing, it wouldn’t be shocking to see those No. 1 seeds in Phoenix.
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