For just the fourth time since 1975, when multiple teams from a conference were allowed into the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina will miss out on this big dance this month.

With the field of 68 announced Sunday evening, the Tar Heels were not included as one of the at-large teams. At 20-13, and going 11-9 in the ACC, this is the first time, also since 1975, a UNC team with 20 wins and one with a winning league record was not included in the tournament.

The Tar Heels were a bit closer than some may have expected, s the NCAA announced they were the third team out behind Oklahoma State and Rutgers, and one spot ahead of Clemson.

Following their loss to Virginia in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament last Thursday night in Greensboro, UNC Coach Hubert Davis and some of the Tar Heels were asked to make their case for inclusion into the field.

“Our record is our record,” Davis said. “And I think regardless of our record, I think we have shown throughout the entire year that we can compete and play and beat anybody in the country. “But I know that we played a really tough non-conference schedule.

"I know that the ACC for whatever reason is undervalued as one of the elite if not the elite conferences in college basketball, and still trying to understand – I understand the Quad – it could be a Quad 1 win in November, but in March it's not. But at the end of the day, we had chances.”

**************************************************************************************

Remember, for just $8.33 a month, YOU CAN BE A TAR HEELS INSIDER, TOO!!!

***************************************************************************************

The Tar Heels most certainly did, especially late in the season, but dropped three of their last four games inside the Smith Center, and overall, lost six of their last ten games.

The preseason No. 1 team by the Associated Press, UNC becomes the first such club to not make the NCAA Tournament since the field was expanded to 64 teams for the 1985 tournament. All previous teams that started the season atop the polls made the NCAAs, and all but one, Kansas in 2005, won at least one game.

Carolina fell quickly from its perch, dropping to No. 19 the week of November 28, and out the following week, for the fasted exit from the poll for a No. 1 team ever. The Tar Heels made a brief return at No. 25 the week of December 26, but fell out the following week and remained out of the polls.

The players said last week following a home loss to Duke they needed to win four games and cut down the nets as the ACC champions in the conference tournament. But a night after taking care of Boston College, its run ended, and the inevitability of what they were facing hit the players hard.

“I think it’s a little bit of numbness and acceptance…,” senior forward Armando Bacot said, noting he sensed the team just wasn’t up to the challenge. “I guess were really weren’t that good.”

Making the prospect of not being in the NCAA Tournament even more difficult is that 14 of 17 players returned from a team that lost in the national championship game last April, and even had a 15-point lead at halftime.

But ever since, whatever magic the Heels found, dissipated, and now they will have to watch the tournament on television instead of participating.