Can UNC still make the NCAA Tournament? Looking at the rest of the Tar Heels’ schedule
North Carolina’s margin of error for an NCAA tournament bid continues to shrink.
UNC has lost six of its last eight games, is 10-11 overall and 3-7 in the ACC. That’s 13th out of 15 teams in a conference going through a down year that may only get five teams in the tournament this season.
The Tar Heels were able to get two wins last week against Miami and N.C. State.
However, the toughest part of UNC’s schedule is about to begin. The Tar Heels still have six games left against the top five teams in the conference, starting with No. 5 Florida State on Monday.
The NCAA’s selection committee will take into account the fact that UNC’s best player, Cole Anthony, was out for nearly two months with a partially torn meniscus. UNC was 6-3 before his injury, and beat then-No. 11 Oregon at a neutral site. That remains a Quadrant 1 victory. (The NCAA selection committee breaks the quality of a team’s victories into four quadrants, with 1 being the best.)
But UNC’s 71-70 loss to Boston College at home Saturday in Anthony’s first game back only hurt its tournament chances. The Boston College loss was a Quadrant 3 loss.
“Our season is not over,” Anthony said Saturday. “We’re going to regroup and get better from this.”
UNC is 3-5 in Quadrant 1 games, 2-1 in Quadrant 2 games, 2-5 in Quadrant 3 games, and 3-0 in Quadrant 4 games.
As of Sunday afternoon, UNC was ranked 97th in the latest NET rankings, one of the primary tools the selection committee uses to choose teams for the tournament. Only 68 teams can get in.
The Tar Heels have 10 games left on their schedule and will likely have to win at least seven to have any sort of argument. A road win over No. 5 Florida State will certainly bolster it.
“Every game is a big game, and we need every single game,” UNC junior guard Andrew Platek said Friday. “Obviously, we all want to play in the tournament. We dug ourselves a hole a little bit, and we’re going to need to dig ourselves out of it.”
Here’s a look at UNC’s remaining schedule:
At No. 8 Florida State
When: Monday, 7 p.m.
Where: Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Fla.
Watch: ESPN
Record: 18-3, 8-2
Ken Pom rankings: 18
Net Ranking: 15
Quality of game: Quadrant 1
No. 7 Duke
When: 6 p.m. Feb. 8
Where: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill
Watch: ESPN
Record: 18-3, 8-2
Ken Pom rankings: 2
Net Ranking: 6
Quality of game: Quadrant 1
At Wake Forest
When: 8p.m. Feb. 11
Where: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem
Watch: ACC Network
Record: 10-11, 3-8
Ken Pom rankings: 104
Net Ranking: 107
Quality of game: Quadrant 2
Virginia
When: 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. Feb. 15
Where: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill
Watch: ESPN or ESPN2
Record: 14-6, 6-4
Ken Pom rankings: 54
Net Ranking: 58
Quality of game: Quadrant 2
At Notre Dame
When: 7 p.m. Feb. 17
Where: Joyce Center, Notre Dame, Ind.
Watch: ESPN
Record: 13-8, 4-6
Ken Pom rankings: 57
Net Ranking: 65
Quality of game: Quadrant 1
At No. 5 Louisville
When: 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. Feb. 22
Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Ky.
Watch: ESPN or ESPN2
Record: 19-3, 10-1
Ken Pom rankings: 8
Net Ranking: 7
Quality of game: Quadrant 1
NC State
When: 9 p.m. Feb. 25
Where: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill
Watch: TBA
Record: 14-8, 5-6
Ken Pom rankings: 70
Net Ranking: 69
Quality of game: Quadrant 2
At Syracuse
When: 4 p.m., 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. Feb. 29
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Watch: ESPN or ESPN2
Record: 13-9, 6-5
Ken Pom rankings: 53
Net Ranking: 66
Quality of game: Quadrant 1
Wake Forest
When: 7 p.m. March 3
Where: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill
Watch: TBA
Record: 10-11, 3-8
Ken Pom rankings: 104
Net Ranking: 107
Quality of game: Quadrant 3
No. 7 Duke
When: 6 p.m. March 7
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham
Watch: ESPN
Record: 18-3, 8-2
Ken Pom rankings: 2
Net Ranking: 6
Quality of game: Quadrant 1
