UNC basketball team climbs one spot in latest NCAA NET rankings update
The North Carolina Tar Heels can play with the top competition in college basketball, but they struggle to close out those games.
UNC is currently 13-10 overall and 6-5 in the ACC, which is good enough for seventh place. North Carolina’s only win against a ranked team came on December 21 against UCLA, while losses against ranked teams include Michigan State, Kansas, Alabama, Florida and arch-rival Duke.
You would think that, despite the Tar Heels losing to several ranked teams, they’d be in strong consideration for the NCAA Tournament. Despite being in the Top 68 of the NET rankings, a tool heavily used to create the Big Dance field, UNC is on the outside looking in.
North Carolina found itself 43rd in the NCAA’s latest NET rankings, released on Tuesday, February 4, rising up from 44th in the previous edition. The Tar Heels are a spot ahead of Vanderbilt, which it flip-flopped spots with, plus a spot behind Memphis.
Hurting UNC’s chances for a bid in March are losses to fellow ACC programs Stanford and Wake Forest. The Cardinal, which beat North Carolina 72-71 in Chapel Hill on January 18, are currently 72nd in the NET rankings. Wake Forest, which escaped the Tar Heels 67-66 three days later, is 68th in the NET.
UNC’s next chance to rise up the NET rankings – and more important give itself a chance to play in March Madness – comes Saturday, February 8 with a 4 p.m. tip-off against Pitt. The Panthers (14-8, 5-6 ACC) beat North Carolina in Pennsylvania on Jan. 28, but are losers of their past two.
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