Comparing No. 8 UNC to other projected No. 2 seeds in NCAA Tournament preview

On Saturday, the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee released the results of its annual selection orientation meeting for the third consecutive year. In its 16-team preview of the NCAA Tournament, the committee ranked North Carolina (19-5, 9-2 ACC) as the seventh-best team in the country, good for a slot as one of the tournament's No. 2 seeds – in the South Region with No. 1 seed Tennessee. 

While a hampered UNC squad has since suffered a home loss to Virginia, the team would still likely earn a No. 2 seed if the season ended today. But just how do the Tar Heels stack up with the tournament's other top teams? Let's take a look at the three other No. 2 seeds and what they offer by way of competition for North Carolina.

No. 5 Kentucky – Midwest Region

The Wildcats are 20-3 on the season, with one of those wins coming against the Tar Heels on Dec. 22, as part of the CBS Sports Classic. In that game, North Carolina was plagued by turnovers and poor shot selection, leading to an 80-72 defeat in which it led for just 3:01 of game time. 

Kentucky went on to defeat No. 14 Kansas, 71-63, and has posted a 9-1 record in the SEC, with an upcoming date with No. 1 Tennessee on Feb. 16. While first-year guard Keldon Johnson is the Wildcat's only projected NBA lottery pick – a disappointment by head coach John Calipari's standards – the team boasts a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging double digits in points.

No. 6 Michigan – East Region

The Tar Heels also lost to Michigan this season, 84-67, as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.  North Carolina held an early 21-11, lead against the Wolverines, but was overwhelmed from that point on by Michigan's Ignas Brazdeikis and Charles Matthews, who threw in 24 and 21 points, respectively. 

The Wolverines have breezed through most of the regular season, posting a 22-2 mark with its only blemishes coming from recent losses at No. 20 Wisconsin and at No. 21 Iowa. Its perfect record in an otherwise underwhelming non-conference schedule is highlighted by wins against No. 13 Villanova and the Tar Heels.

No. 8 Michigan State – West Region

Though the Tar Heels played the other two teams on the No. 2 seed line, they narrowly missed out on an early-season date with the Spartans as well. Had North Carolina beaten Texas in the first game of the Las Vegas Invitational, it would have set up a matchup with Michigan State. Instead, a loss to Texas sent UNC to play UCLA in the consolation game, which the Tar Heels won, 94-78. 

College basketball fans should mourn the exciting clash of styles the matchup would have presented. While North Carolina benefits from a fast-paced scoring attack that is second in the nation in points per game, Michigan State is a defense-first, team-oriented squad that leads the country in assists and is third in opponent field goal percentage.

Bottom Line

The Tar Heels lost to two of the other projected No. 2 seeds (Kentucky and Michigan), and could have lost to the third (Michigan State) if it weren't for an upset loss beforehand. While UNC has been much more consistent in conference play – evidenced by a 9-2 mark in the ACC – there's still some reason for pause when recalling those nonconference matchups. 

Perhaps it's a good thing for the Tar Heels that in the NCAA's projected bracket, those three teams are in different regions altogether.

@rwilcox_

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com