After closing the season playing its best basketball of the year, North Carolina learned its NCAA Tournament destination Sunday evening, as the Tar Heels are the No. 8 seed in the South Region and will open versus No. 9 seed Wisconsin.

UNC and WIsconsin will play Friday, but the location has not yet been determined.

UNC is 18-10 overall, went 10-6 in the ACC, and advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament this past week in Greensboro. The Tar Heels were 5-4 in early January before winning five consecutive games. UNC’s NET ranking is No. 32 and includes a 3-9 record in Quad 1 games and an 8-0 mark in Quad 2 games.

The Tar Heels are 6-4 in their 10 games, their average margin of defeat is 7.3 points and their average margin of victory is 13.8 points.

The Badgers are 17-12 and went 10-10 in the Big Ten this season. If UNC wins, it will likely face top seed Baylor in the second round.

This will be UNC’s 51st appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels are 124-47 in NCAA Tournament games with six national championships, a record 20 Final Fours, 28 Elite Eight appearances, and 34 trips to the Sweet 16.

UNC Coach Roy Williams is 29-0 in NCAA Tournament first round games, with the last 15 leading the Tar Heels. UNC is 45-12 in NCAA Tournament games under Williams. He has led UNC to three national championships in 2005, 2009, and 2017, as well as an NCAA title game appearance in 206. He also guided the Tar Heels to the Final Four in 2008.

Roy Williams on the Tar Heels being an at-large selection to the 2021 NCAA Tournament:

“We are ecstatic to be playing in the NCAA Tournament. There were a couple of times during the season when we were wondering whether or not we would make the field, but our team kept getting a little bit better and better. So I’m just ecstatic for these kids, who have endured so much due to Covid and have an opportunity to continue their season. This will be an unusual tournament to say the least, but particularly for our coaches, because we have so many young players who will be playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Wisconsin will be a big-time challenge, but we played our way into our seed and we will have to play very well to advance. But we are looking forward to having that opportunity.”