KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — North Carolina was rewarded for navigating a brutal schedule, earning the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region after it tied Virginia for the regular-season ACC title and took Duke down to the wire in its conference tournament.
That's just about its only reward.
The Blue Devils earned the overall No. 1 seed and were given the more preferable East Region, and that means the Tar Heels will be traveling all over the country in the NCAA Tournament. They'll open against MAAC tournament champion Iona on Friday in Columbus, Ohio, and could face eighth-seeded Utah State or ninth-seeded Washington for a spot in the Sweet 16.