Busting Brackets
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North Carolina Basketball: What is the Tar Heels' recent history in the Sweet 16?

Another edition of the Tar Heels' previous NCAA Tournament experiences, this time in the Sweet 16.
Sophomore Seth Trimble's defense was incredible during UNC's second-round outing vs. Michigan State.
Sophomore Seth Trimble's defense was incredible during UNC's second-round outing vs. Michigan State. / Jared C. Tilton/GettyImages
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UNC will enter Crypto.com Arena this coming Thursday, March 28th, for a Sweet 16 clash with Alabama. This is appearance No. 31 all-time for North Carolina Basketball heading into the second week of the NCAA Tournament. Coach Davis will have another go at it after his first Sweet 16 appearance resulted in a triumph over Coach Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins back in 2022.

Enough beating around the bush; here are North Carolina's past five Sweet 16 contests.

2022: #8 UNC vs. #4 UCLA (Won, 73-66)

RJ Davis - 12 PTS, 7 REBS, 3 ASTS, 3-11 FG, 1-4 3PT, 5-5 FT
Caleb Love - 30 PTS, 3 REBS, 4 ASTS, 11-24 FG, 6-13 3PT, 2-2 FT
Leaky Black - 2 PTS, 2 REBS, 1-5 FG, 0-2 3PT
Brady Manek - 13 PTS, 8 REBS, 2 ASTS, 5-13 FG, 3-10 3PT
Armando Bacot - 14 PTS, 15 REBS, 2 AST, 6-10 FG, 2-4 FT

Well, well, well.

This game is bittersweet, to say the least. If it wasn't for former North Carolina star Caleb Love's 30-point performance, the Tar Heels would not have moved past UCLA and ultimately reached the national championship.

A wire-to-wire matchup where Coach Davis and his team trailed going into the halftime break. Only before their 45-point second-half performance, headlined by Love's incredible shot-making from deep behind the arc. 

The standout moment was Armando Bacot's possession-saving play, hurling the runaway basketball to an island that had Caleb Love present. After the catch, Love did a couple of moves and then launched a three to tie the score up at 64 apiece.

It's an interesting story to tell considering the current stakes of this year's NCAA Tournament.

Will we see UNC-Arizona soon? That remains to be seen.