GREENSBORO – With North Carolina’s chances at receiving a bid to the NCAA Tournament highly doubtful, a question that needed asking in the Tar Heels’ locker room Thursday night was if they’d be interested in playing in the NIT.
Granted, UNC was coming off a 68-59 loss to Virginia in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum, and the emotions and disappointment of the performance and its effect on their NCAA hopes were clear.
But the questions had to be asked, so they were. And while there was no consensus, there was no overwhelming thumbs-up given by the players, either.
“I don’t have a comment,” wing Leaky Black said, who also later somewhat acknowledged that was his last game in a UNC uniform.
Pete Nance came to Carolina (20-13) last summer using his Covid year to play another season of college basketball after four campaigns at Northwestern. One of the main reasons he chose Chapel Hill was to not just play in the NCAA Tournament, but because of the Tar Heels’ seemingly strong chances at contending for a national championship.
The disappointment in Nance’s face as he sat in front of his locker was obvious. It was really more pain than disappointment, actually.
“I don’t know, I’m not talking about that,” Nance replied when asked about the NIT.
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THI did not speak with Caleb Love after the game, but multiple media outlets reported the junior guard wanted to play more games with this team, and if it means doing so in the NIT, he will do that.
Armando Bacot will follow what the team does, but he isn’t exactly chomping at the bit to take the floor in an NIT game. And besides, the 6-foot-10 senior is banged up and probably wouldn’t be able to play in an early game next week anyway.
“I’m a player,” he said. “If Coach (Hubert Davis) tells us we’re playing, (I’ll play). But it’s not something I want to do.”
Junior Puff Johnson said the team will meet and discuss it and make a decision from there.
North Carolina last played in the NIT in 2010, and also played in 2003. Before that, the Tar Heels hadn’t been in the National Invitations Tournament since 1974. The following year, the NCAA allowed multiple teams from the same conference to play in the NCAA Tournament.
Carolina’s coach was asked in his postgame press conference about the NIT, and responded that it wasn’t something he’d given any thought, but didn’t say they want to play or anything like that. The vibe with Davis was the same with the players, and expectations are the Tar Heels will receive an invite to the NIT, but also decline it.
That is certainly what the mood and words in the locker room suggested.
