In hindsight, perhaps it was just a tad hasty for media members to anoint UNC the preseason No. 1 team after the Tar Heels got hot in late-February. UNC entered the NCAAs at 30 in the Pomeroy Ratings and not even a run to the title game could push them into the top 15.
The Tar Heels are good, no doubt about that, but last March was not a sign that this group had turned a corner. It’s a top-25 team, and plenty good enough to give State a bad time in Chapel Hill, it’s just not a top-five one.