Entering Saturday’s big slate of college basketball games, no team needed a ranked victory more than the North Carolina Tar Heels.
UNC failed in previous attempts against Kansas, Auburn, Michigan State and Florida, causing concern about UNC’s ability to play with good teams.
North Carolina finally succeeded on Saturday, December 21, winning 76-74 and upsetting the 18th-ranked UCLA Bruins. Tar Heels (7-5, 1-0 ACC) freshman guard Ian Jackson fueled the victory, scoring a career-high 24 points in his hometown, while UNC weathered another big outing from UCLA (10-2, 2-0 Big 10) star Tyler Bilodeau (26 points).
In the latest NET rankings, which play a major factor in deciding who makes the NCAA Tournament in March, North Carolina jumped to 33rd. The Tar Heels, who climbed 13 spots from the previous week, found themselves sandwiched between a surprising Penn State (32nd) squad and Wisconsin (34th).
Beating UCLA proved to be important in multiple ways for UNC. Not only did North Carolina get its first win over a ranked team (Dayton is now ranked, but wasn’t in the Maui Invitational), but North Carolina picked up its second Quad 1 victory. These also play big roles in deciding who makes the NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels nearly had a couple other Quad 1 victories earlier in the season, but they collapsed against Kansas, Florida and Michigan State.
UNC likely won’t have another chance at a Quad 1 win until February, when it plays a ranked Duke squad. North Carolina’s Jan. 7 matchup against SMU is one to keep an eye on, as the Mustangs are currently 10-2 (2-0 ACC), but a weak ACC won’t help the Tar Heels.
Instead of relying on the NET rankings, UNC needs to do just one thing to make the NCAA Tournament: win games.
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