Published Mar 16, 2025
Heels Headed to NCAA Tournament, Open up in Dayton
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Andrew Jones  •  TarHeelIllustrated
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In the end, the selection committee looked beyond North Carolina’s Quad 1 record and have included the Tar Heels in the NCAA Tournament, as was announced Sunday evening on CBS.

UNC is 22-13 but owns a 1-12 record in Quad 1 games. Speculation was strong that would keep the Heels from the big dance, but the committee looked at how UNC closed the season and the overall strength of its schedule in giving the Heels an edge. Also, that UNC won eight of its last ten games and clearly looked like an NCAA team helped its cause.

The Tar Heels are an 11 seed in the South Region and will face San Diego State (21-9) on Tuesday night in Dayton, OH. If they win, the Heels will take on 6-seed Ole Miss on Friday in Milwaukee.

UNC won eight of its last ten games with the victories by an average of 17 points, and it is 21-1 in games against Quads 2-4 with the average NET ranking of its losses 23.2 also positive points for Hubert Davis’ team.

In addition, 11 of Carolina’s 13 Quad 1 games were away from Chapel Hill, and 11 of the Heels’ games were against teams in the top 26 of the NET rankings. Lastly, UNC’s No. 36 NET ranking would have been one of the lowest for teams not included in the NCAA Tournament had it been snubbed.

Stay with THI for more coverage on UNC going to the NCAA Tournament.