Hopes of an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament should be snuffed out by now, the last bit of oxygen feeding the fire extinguished by the cold boot of Duke. What’s left for the Tar Heels? A long, arduous path to automatic qualification, doing something they haven’t done since 2016; winning the ACC Tournament.
Causes for concern? Carolina is still not a deep team, and this task will require the Tar Heels to win four games in four days. They are still shooting erratically. Puff Johnson’s health is in question. Morale is low.
How about optimism? Virginia is the #2 seed, and the strongest team in UNC’s way on the bottom half of the bracket.