ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi still lists the UNC basketball team as a No. 10 seed. That said, the most recent update to his projected NCAA Tournament brackets came out on Tuesday, so it doesn’t account for the Tar Heels’ deflating 83-70 road defeat at the hands of the Louisville Cardinals on Wednesday night.
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Lunardi had the Cardinals, now 9-5 overall and 2-1 in ACC play, among the “Next Four Out” in his list of bubble teams.
Speaking of the bubble, that may well be where the Tar Heels (8-6, 1-1 ACC) are heading and belong in the next edition of Lunardi’s bracketology.
After all, the setback against the Cardinals dropped Hubert Davis’ fourth UNC basketball squad five notches to No. 47 in the NCAA NET Rankings, a key metric in determining March Madness invites and seeding. Louisville jumped seven spots to No. 50.
UNC, now 2-6 in Quad 1 contests, stacks up at No. 5 among ACC programs in the NET, updated daily. Duke, the only ACC team in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll, leads the way in the conference with its No. 3 NET ranking, followed by Pitt at No. 13, SMU at No. 30, and Clemson at No. 32.
Next up for Hubert Davis and his reeling Tar Heels is a road bout against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-6, 1-1 ACC, No. 101 NET) in Purcell Pavilion at noon ET Saturday (CBS).
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Stay tuned to North Carolina Tar Heels On SI for more UNC basketball news.
