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North Carolina Tournament résumé shredded after semifinal loss to Duke
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
North Carolina’s NCAA Tournament hopes hung in the balance heading into the ACC Tournament, but despite a run that saw it win 8 of 9 games prior to its semifinal game against Duke, its bubble may have burst.
That said, if the Tar Heels don’t make it, it will be for reasons beyond losing to the Blue Devils. Their record against Quadrant 1 teams was 1-12, not what you want if you’re a team looking for success in March.
North Carolina pieced together a strong late-season record, but it might not be enough as a lane violation by Jae’Lyn Withers with 4.1 seconds to go — wiping out a would-be game-tying free throw — led to a 74-71 Blue Devils win. It’s left the Heels on the verge of missing the 68-team field for the second time in 4 seasons under Hubert Davis. For reference, his predecessor and former boss, Roy Williams, missed the field just once in 18 seasons, not counting the tournament’s cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As you might imagine, there was plenty of reaction to the Tar Heels potentially being on the outside looking in:
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
