Joe Lunardi drops UNC four spots in latest bracketology
Saturday’s game against the Duke Blue Devils was a must-win for North Carolina. It needed to find a way to win that game and get a big Quad 1 win.
And like the first meeting between the two teams, they came up short.
The Tar Heels fell, 62-57, in the Dean Dome, struggling to score over the final four minutes of the game. As Duke closed it out with a dunk following a failed 3-point attempt from Caleb Love that would have tied the game, UNC had its NCAA Tournament hopes vanish.
With the loss, UNC almost certainly has to win the ACC Tournament to get in. It’s not impossible, but it will require them to win four games in four days in Greensboro.
Following the game, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi dropped North Carolina from the first four out line at No. 70 to the next four out line.
Latest Brackets per @ESPNLunardi with @UNC_Basketball Next Four Out pic.twitter.com/hpnkYfb2XC
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 5, 2023
UNC gets jumped by Utah State, Michigan, Oklahoma State and Clemson with the loss. Falling four spots after losing to a good Duke team seems a bit much, but that’s how it is.
Lunardi even said in his first update of the day that a win over Duke would get UNC in the tournament PENDING Arizona State and Penn State’s results this weekend. So it’s a bit odd to see how he views UNC.
One thing is clear. The Tar Heels are really going to have to find a way to win at least three games next week.
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