After two days spent waiting to learn their NCAA Tournament fate, the ACC regular season champion Tar Heels found out Sunday they will be the No. 1 seed in the South region.
UNC (27-7, 15-5 ACC) is scheduled to take on 16th-seeded Texas Southern in the first round on Friday, with that game set to take place in Greenville, South Carolina instead of Greensboro after HB2 pushed the NCAA to move its postseason events outside the state of North Carolina.
The Tar Heels earned a No. 1 seed for the second straight season, and will be looking to avenge last year’s heartbreaking loss to Villanova in the national championship game.
With a win on Friday, UNC would advance to play the winner of No. 8 Arkansas and No. 9 Seton Hall.
From there, the city of Memphis could await the team for the NCAA South Regional.
Butler and Minnesota–the region’s No. 4 and No. 5 seeds–represent the Tar Heels’ strongest potential opponents in the Sweet 16.
The No. 2 seed in the South, Kentucky, could be waiting for the Tar Heels in the Elite Eight–which would be a rematch of a game the Wildcats won back in December behind 47 points from freshman guard Malik Monk.
Of course, another superstar freshman–6-foot-6 point guard Lonzo Ball–may have something to say about that.
Ball’s UCLA Bruins will bring their high-octane offense to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed in UNC’s region.
Villanova (East), Kansas (Midwest) and Gonzaga (West) are the other No. 1 seeds in the tournament, while the ACC leads all conferences with nine teams among the 68 selected.
History should be on UNC’s side, as the Tar Heels have advanced to at least the Elite Eight in each of the six previous tournaments they were a top seed under head coach Roy Williams–including national championships in 2005 and 2009.
Another interesting tidbit about those title runs is that in each of those two years UNC lost in the Semifinals of the ACC Tournament, just as it did this season.
For the full bracket, click here.
Related Stories
‹
![]()
Luke Maye's Late Jumper Downs Kentucky, Sends UNC to the Final FourBig time players. Make big time plays. In big time games. UNC sophomore forward Luke Maye showed Sunday night in Memphis he is indeed, a big time player, as his jumper from the left wing with 0.3 seconds remaining gave the top-seeded Tar Heels a thrilling 75-73 victory over the No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats […]
![]()
Game Time Set for Sunday's Elite Eight Matchup Between UNC and KentuckyWith the NCAA Tournament now down to just eight teams, game times have been set for the last round of matchups prior to the Final Four. The top-seeded Tar Heels will take on No. 2 Seed Kentucky in the South Regional Final on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. That game will take place in Memphis at […]
![]()
Stars Shine, Maye Comes Up Big, as UNC Cruises Into Elite Eight With Win Over ButlerHaving stared death right in the eyes during their tight NCAA Tournament Second Round win over Arkansas last weekend, the top-seeded Tar Heels came out with new life in their Sweet 16 showdown against No. 4 seed Butler on Friday night. UNC wasted no time asserting its dominance in all phases of the game, as […]
![]()
UNC Hosting Sweet 16 Send-Off Outside the Smith Center WednesdayWith the top-seeded UNC men’s basketball team prepared to head off to Memphis for the NCAA Tournament South Regional, fans have been invited to give the team their well wishes Wednesday night outside the Smith Center. Parking will be available after 5 p.m. in the lots surrounding the arena, with the gathering taking place outside […]
![]()
UNC Scores Final 12 Points to Fend Off Upset-Minded Arkansas, Advance to Sweet 16The recipe for disaster was all there for the top-seeded Tar Heels during Sunday’s 72-65 win over No. 8 seed Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. UNC watched a 17-point first-half lead slowly dwindle away thanks to the high-pressure Razorback defense, while stars Justin Jackson and Joel Berry went colder than the North Pole […]
![]()
Growth and Experience Motivating UNC Prior to NCAA Tournament OpenerWhen top-seeded UNC begins its NCAA Tournament run Friday against No. 16-seed Texas Southern, six of its top contributors from last year’s run to the championship game will be back out on the court again for a good portion of playing time. Although Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson won’t be walking through the door, the […]
![]()
UNC Earns No. 1 Seed in NCAA Tourney, Finds Out Its Path to TitleFresh off their ACC Championship win against Virginia on Saturday, the UNC men’s basketball team found out what its NCAA Tournament path will be on Selection Sunday. The Tar Heels were given a number one seed in the East region after capturing conference crowns in both the regular season and tournament. UNC will enter rival […]

Chansky’s Notebook: Be The BestCarolina returning to the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed is as astounding as missing the Big Dance altogether last season was maddening.

Roy Williams Listed as a Presenter for Upcoming ESPY AwardsFormer UNC head men’s basketball coach Roy Williams is listed as a scheduled presenter for this year’s ESPY Awards, which will take place on Saturday night. Williams retired following the conclusion of UNC’s season back in March after a wildly successful career in which he won 903 games during his time at both Kansas and […]

Four-Star Guard Seth Trimble Announces Commitment to UNC Men's BasketballNew UNC head men’s basketball coach Hubert Davis landed his second high school commitment for the Class of 2022 on Wednesday evening: four-star point guard Seth Trimble announced his intentions to join the Tar Heel program. Trimble — the younger brother of former UNC guard J.P. Tokoto — hails from Menomenee Falls, Wisconsin and is […]
›
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines