On Saturday afternoon, North Carolina cruised to a comfortable 19-point win against Miami. The Tar Heels are now winners of five straight, with four in a row by double digits. Even against the lesser of ACC competition, North Carolina has kept NCAA Tournament hopes alive as the 2024-25 regular season wraps up next week.
The unfortunate reality of being on the bubble is that it does matter what other teams do, especially down the stretch. As explained in depth three weeks ago, the group of teams near the tournament cut line are weaker than ever, and it’s ultimately keeping the Tar Heels alive.