North Carolina (14-11) (NET: 50)
1-10 (Q1), 5-0 (Q2), 3-1 (Q3), 5-0 (Q4)
Something is just off with the Tar Heels in recent years under Hubert Davis, even for a program in the national title game three seasons ago. This season hasn’t been terrible but wasted opportunities and recent failings have them squarely on the bubble.
The Tar Heels have had a rough time against top teams with that 1-10 mark in Quad 1 games. The only Quad 1 win was at Madison Square Garden against UCLA right before Christmas and the ACC isn’t exactly the strongest league for opportunities right now. Outside of that, wins over Dayton, Pittsburgh, and SMU are the building blocks for the Tar Heels.
The Quad 3 loss came at the hands of Stanford nearly a month ago and really stings all things considered. There were certainly very winnable games among their ten Quad 1 defeats, with close losses to Kansas, Michigan State, and Wake Forest, but that performance against the Cardinal isn’t what you like to see.
Last time out the Tar Heels lost by 20 points to Clemson and certainly haven’t looked in the same league as the top teams in the ACC. None of their next six games are big opportunities, meaning North Carolina has to win them all or they might be forced to win the ACC Tournament to get into the Big Dance.