UNC players make their pitch for NCAA tournament bid after ACC semifinals loss

CHARLOTTE — Seth Trimble rose from his chair, jersey untucked and shoes off, in the hallway of the Spectrum Center. He walked toward the UNC locker room. Over his shoulder, the junior guard yelled to the scrum of media. 

“See y’all next week.”

To Trimble, North Carolina’s future is clear. But after No. 5 seed UNC’s 74-71 loss to top-seeded Duke on Friday night in the semifinals of the ACC tournament, the Tar Heels’ bid into the NCAA tournament is officially out of their hands. 

Despite piecing together a second-half comeback to chip away at a once-24 point deficit, all momentum was lost after graduate forward Jae’Lyn Withers was called for a lane violation on a potential game-tying free throw opportunity with four seconds left. The Tar Heels will now await their fate on Selection Sunday. 

Sitting at No. 35 in NET rankings, UNC is 1-12 in Quad 1 games, with eight of those losses against teams currently ranked in the top-10. The Tar Heels are 21-1 in Quad 2-4 games, with their only blemish being a Quad 3 loss to Stanford. According to the NCAA, the number of Quad 1 wins and Quad 3 and 4 losses are “incredibly important” for tournament selection and seeding.   

As of Saturday morning, the Tar Heels are listed as the first team out by ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi.

“I would just show them the games,” sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau said. “We proved that even though we fell short in games against really good teams, we were still there with them.” 

RJ Davis refused to get sentimental about his five-year UNC career after Friday’s loss. He didn’t reflect. He stated North Carolina’s season isn’t over. 

The graduate guard believes the Tar Heels have done enough to clinch a bid. 

“We’ve shown and proven that,” he said. “The way we battle and stay gritty through when things don’t go our way, and we keep our momentum and we battle through adversity. That’s what March is all about.” 

He pointed to UNC’s success over the last few weeks, winning eight of the last nine games. 

Prior to the tournament, the Tar Heels won five consecutive regular season games by double digits. Then, in the ACC tournament, easily took care of Notre Dame — a team North Carolina needed a last-second miracle four-point play to beat in January — and avenged an earlier loss to Wake Forest. 

“For them to, in the midst of those questions [about the NCAA tournament], be able to focus on preparation and practice to play,” head coach Hubert Davis said. “And focus on what is real in regards to whomever we’re playing that particular week, being able to do that basically playing must-win games for a month and a half, in that stretch, we’ve actually played our best basketball all season.”

But then came Duke. 

The Blue Devils ended a six-game win streak for the Tar Heels to end the regular season. Then, they ruined UNC’s party once more on Friday. 

All three rivalry games ended the same, but each one was different from the last. First came the dismantling at Cameron Indoor Stadium, where North Carolina allowed Duke to build up a once 32-point lead. 

In the regular season finale, the Tar Heels clawed out of a 15-point deficit in the first half and briefly held the lead in the second. They had the opportunity to clinch a coveted Quad 1 win but let Duke take back control. 

And on Friday, UNC battled back from a potential blowout to make it a one-point game in the final thirty seconds against the nation's No. 1 team — who was without Cooper Flagg. The Tar Heels improved their shooting from 35.7 percent in the first half to 59.3 percent in the second. They drew fouls and got to the line 18 times. After scoring 24 points in the first 20 minutes, UNC outscored Duke 47-29 in the final half of regulation.

But then disaster struck. A costly mistake in a decisive moment. 

They couldn't complete the comeback against Kansas, Michigan State or Florida in the early months of the season. They couldn't grab a quality win with limited chances during ACC play. Then, with their backs against the wall in the conference tournament and in UNC’s final opportunity for a Quad 1 win, North Carolina fell short. The Blue Devils have now won three rivalry games in a season for the first time since 2001-02. 

On Sunday, the Tar Heels will gather — either at Hubert Davis’ house or the Dean E. Smith Center — and watch the bracket reveal. Only then will their fate truly be revealed. Only then will the question be answered: Was it enough?

“I’m not nervous at all,” Trimble said. “We’re a tournament team.”

@carolinewills03

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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