It's kind of amazing how so many people were outraged that North Carolina made it into the tournament, in a play in game mind you. But when presenting a counter argument for why they shouldn't have made it, those same people really couldn't think of a good reason. Was there even a better team than UNC to make it in over them? Some have brought up that Indiana should've been over them. What?! The same Indiana team that had a 10-10 conference record and less overall wins than the Tar Heels?! Get out of here with that. There were others that brought up West Virginia. Are you kidding me?! The same West Virginia team that had same exact conference and overall record as Indiana?! That's dumb. Honestly, if the haters actually did some research, there were teams in the A-10 that deserved some consideration more than UNC such as George Mason or Loyola Chicago. And if those same people did more research, there are even worse sides than the Heels that made the tournament such as Arkansas, Mississippi State, Georgia, Baylor, and Illinois. So where's the controversy there?
Yes, UNC only had one Quad 1 win, but they also went 8-0 in Quad 2 matchups and had the 25th toughest schedule. While the optics look bad with that resume, there was more to the story than the haters thought. Then there was the haters citing how it was "corruption" for the Heels to make it because the school's AD, Bubba Cunningham, was on the selection committee. Despite Cunningham stating that his employment with the university, he was not involved in selecting UNC, though admittedly it does look suspicious. That didn't stop the controversy there unfortunately. That being said, Keith Gill, the vice chair of the committee, even outlined how the Heels might not have gotten in including how if UAB upset Memphis in the AAC Championship, then they would've been left out. So there were plenty of scenarios where UNC would've been left out which clearly suggests that there wasn't any sort of "corruption" in the committee. Sure, the optics look bad, but when accounting for everything, it's just a wild conspiracy theory and nothing more. Now, a few weeks ago, then the controversy is understandable, but what helped the team certainly was how they won eight of their last ten games and were dominating their opponents when doing so. That's what is called getting hot at the right time. The Heels got the correct seeding, so it's pretty laughable that people were upset at how they got a play in game which was very deserving considering the resume. And considering how UNC annihilated San Diego State in that play in game, looks like the haters were proven wrong once again. That is what we call: karma.
Speaking of being hot at the right time, the Heels are a prime candidate to be a dark horse team in this tournament. While unlikely to win it all, theres a strong chance the team can go deep. UNC's offense has been outstanding in recent form as they have scored consistently 80 or more points and even in three straight scoring 90. In fact, the team averages 80.8 points per game, so clearly theres a lot of fire power. The three point shooting was also incredible as the Heels had been shooting at a 48% clip. That certainly will help against an Ole Miss team in the round of 64 which has a similar profile. Defensively, UNC averages 26.9 defensive rebounds per game, which hopefully they can do at least slightly better than if wanting to beat Ole Miss. However, despite the inconsistencies for the team this season, the offense might be what helps the most as Ole Miss is one of the best defenses in the country (13th in defensive efficiency) as the Heels also average 12.9 fastbreak points a game essentially meaning the team needs to be precise in their passing and utilize speed as much as possible. Maybe the key to success is making the extra pass when needed and dominate the boards defensively. UNC struggles against teams that are in the Top 25 in defensive efficiency, but maybe the team can take a page out of their own playbook from their victory against San Diego State, the 25th ranked team in defensive efficiency. It's possible head coach Hubert Davis has unlocked something in his squad where now, with clicking on all cylinders, that they make a deep run against strong defensive sides. Even Iowa State is ranked ninth in defensive efficiency and they are in the same region as the Heels. Playing against three straight teams that are in the Top 25 in defensive efficiency and winning all of those games could help UNC even go deeper than we all might think, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's probably something we all are missing from what Davis is thinking in regards to a game plan, but if this team is hot right now, that probably means we are seeing their potential which bodes very well. And if that means anything, a deep run is not a likely possibility, it could mean a probability.
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