With three games remaining in the regular season, the North Carolina Tar Heels are in danger of missing the 2023 NCAA Tournament as the preseason No. 1 team. UNC finds themselves without a Quad 1 win, going 0-9 in that category which is something that the committee will look at come Selection Sunday.
The Tar Heels will have a Quad 1 opportunity Saturday against Virginia in the Dean Dome and potentially another one a week later when they host Duke to close out the regular season. But could they get one from a game they won in December?
After hitting a speed bump, the Michigan Wolverines have won two straight beating Michigan State and then getting a road win at Rutgers. With that win over Rutgers on Thursday night, Michigan climbed the NET rankings moving up from No. 62 to No. 53.
And that’s potentially good news for UNC.
If Michigan can get to No. 50, it would give UNC a Quad 1 win after the Tar Heels beat the Wolverines in December in Charlotte. A neutral site win over a top 50 team qualifies and it would be a slight bump for the Tar Heels resume.
However, the two wins for Michigan have also moved them up on the bubble.
After losing to Indiana and Wisconsin a few weeks back, Michigan wasn’t really near the bubble. But now two-straight wins has them as one of the next four out as they climb closer and closer to the field.
The Wolverines have a tough schedule ahead facing Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. The Badgers are also on the bubble so that could play a factor in this as well.
The main thing for North Carolina is to take care of their own business moving forward and win out.
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