North Carolina didn’t have to wait long to hear its name called on Selection Sunday as the Tar Heels took one of four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament.
UNC earned the top draw in the Midwest region, meaning it will play in St. Louis if it reaches the Sweet 16. The Tar Heels’ first contest will be against either Lamar or Vermont on Friday in the Greensboro Coliseum.
The No. 2 seed in UNC’s region is Kansas, setting up a potential Elite Eight meeting between coach Roy Williams and the team he coached before taking the UNC job. Georgetown holds the No. 3 seed and Michigan, who the Tar Heels beat in the 1993 championship game, is No. 4.
No top seed has ever lost its first game, and if the Tar Heels continue that trend they will face the winner of Creighton and Alabama. Creighton is led by Sporting News second-team All-American Doug McDermott, UNC forward Harrison Barnes’ underlooked high school teammate.
Also in UNC’s region is N.C. State, which was given the No. 11 seed. The Wolfpack escaped the bubble as the last team announced on CBS’s Selection Sunday show.
The other No. 1 seeds are Kentucky, Syracuse and Michigan State, with the Wildcats nabbing the top overall spot. UNC beat Michigan State in the season-opening Carrier Classic and lost to Kentucky by one point on the road.
Duke fell in as the No. 2 seed in the South region, where Kentucky is the top team. This bracket, which also includes Baylor, Indiana, UNLV and Notre Dame, is arguably the most difficult region.
Florida State and Virginia also made the tournament, giving the ACC five bids. The ACC champion Seminoles are the No. 3 seed in the East region and Virginia is the No. 10 seed in the West.
UNC will know who it will play in its opening game when Lamar and Vermont meet in the First Four on Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio.
