The wait is over.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, slotting into the West Region. The announcement was made on Sunday as the selection committee released the 68-team bracket.
North Carolina will open the tournament on Thursday against the No. 16 seed. Howard and Wagner play in the First Four in Dayton on Tuesday to earn the date with the Tar Heels. UNC’s first game will be in Charlotte, with the potential to play there again if they win.
This is the 18th No. 1 seed in program history, the most by any team in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 1⃣ seed in the West Region.
Most NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds with 18. pic.twitter.com/varOMzMDPV
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) March 17, 2024
The Tar Heels finished 27-7 overall, 17-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They earned the No. 1 seed in the 2024 ACC Tournament but lost to NC State in the title game. Still, winning the ACC regular-season title and a 9-3 Quad 1 record helped the Tar Heels get that No. 1 seed.
One interesting note: The Tar Heels have No. 2 Arizona, No. 3 Baylor and No. 4 Alabama in their region. That sets up a potential showdown between the Tar Heels and Wildcats in the Elite 8, in which UNC would face former guard Caleb Love.
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