Carolina has had a jaded history with the No. 8 or 9 seeds.
When the eighth-seeded Tar Heels play Wisconsin Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament, they will be in their 21st game playing against or as the No. 8 or No. 9 seeds. The record is 16-4.
Most were memorable wins but as few heart-breaking losses, like in 1979 – the first year the teams were seeded – when Carolina lost to No. 9 Penn in Raleigh on Black Sunday, or in 1990 and 2000 when UNC was the 8 seed and upset No. 1s Oklahoma and Stanford.
In 1982, the Heels slipped past underrated No. 9 James Madison 52-50 in the second round in Charlotte on their way to the NCAA championship in New Orleans. In 1984, top-seeded No. 1-ranked UNC defeated No. 8 Temple in the second round before the gut-wrenching loss to fourth-seeded Indiana in that painful Sweet Sixteen.
In 1985, Carolina was seeded second and had a comfortable lead over No. 8 Villanova at half-time of the regional final, but wound up losing to the eventual NCAA champ Wildcats. Two years later came a win over No. 9 Michigan before losing again in the Elite 8 to Syracuse.
UNC beat No. 9 Villanova in the second round in 1991 and blew out No. 9 Rhode Island in ‘93 on the way to the Final Four both years. The top-ranked Tar Heels were favored to repeat as national champs in 1994 before losing to No. 8 seed Boston College in the second round.
Before back-to-back Final Fours in 1997 and ’98, Carolina skunked No. 9 Colorado in Winston-Salem for Dean Smith’s record breaking 877th career win; Bill Guthridge’s first Final Four came after his Tar Heels edged No. 8 UNC-Charlotte in a second-round game.
As No. 1 seeds under Roy Williams in 2005, ’07, ’08, ’09 and 2012, Carolina defeated 8s or 9s Iowa State, Michigan State, Arkansas, LSU and Creighton. As the No. 8 seed in 2013, the Heels lost to No. 1 Kansas.
On the way to consecutive Final Fours in 2016 and ‘17, top-seeded Carolina beat No. 9 Providence in Raleigh and No. 8 Arkansas in Greenville, S.C.
So as perhaps the No. 8 seed with the most difficult path, wins over the rugged Badgers and top-seeded and second-ranked Baylor are not impossible. Carolina has a measure of history on its side.
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