Metrics show UNC basketball has an advantage over fellow NCAA Tournament bubble teams
We finally made it to Selection Sunday, which officially kicks off at 6 p.m. on CBS Sports, with the North Carolina Tar Heels eagerly awaiting their NCAA Tournament fate.
UNC (22-13, 13-7 ACC) has an impressive win total, but lacks the quality wins bracketologists zero in on. North Carolina sports a lackluster 1-12 record in Quad 1 games, with its lone victory coming against UCLA in December.
The Tar Heels enjoyed a late-season spurt, highlighted by a 6-game winning streak and run to the ACC Tournament Semifinals, but they came up short against archrival Duke for a third time this season. Beating the top-seeded Blue Devils (31-3, 19-1 ACC) would quash questions about UNC's ability to beat the country's best teams, but alas, that didn't happen.
Despite the field of uncertainty surrounding North Carolina's NCAA Tournament fate, its resume stacks up well against several fellow bubble teams.
The Tar Heels are ranked 36 in the NET, 33 in KenPom, 26 in BPI, 36 in T-Rank and SOR, plus 42 in WOB. These are all ahead of fellow bubble teams in Texas, Boise State, Xavier, San Diego State, Indiana and UC Irvine.
UNC's NET ranking and BPI, in particular, are metrics the Selection Committee should focus on. North Carolina also has the country's fifth-toughest out-of-conference strength of schedule, thanks to playing National Championship contenders like Auburn, Alabama and Duke.
The Tar Heels have every reason to miss the NCAA Tournament, but also have plenty reasons to make it. UNC can play with the country's best teams, it just can't finish the job.
Look at what happened when Virginia made the 2024 NCAA Tournament. There were plenty of other teams deserving of a spot over the Cavaliers.
Will North Carolina make the Big Dance? Tune your TV and/or favorite streaming device over to CBS Sports at 6 p.m. and find out.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
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