For one half on Saturday night, UNC found itself locked in a close duel with Duke inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. After two halves, North Carolina found itself on the wrong side of a 76-61 result.
The Tar Heels (24-7, 12-6 ACC) now get to hit the reset button, with postseason play officially underway this week in the ACC Tournament. 4-seed UNC awaits either Virginia Tech, Wake Forest or Clemson on Thursday night, playing the late game with a 9:30 p.m. tip-off.
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North Carolina is a lock for the NCAA Tournament, but seeding is still up in the air. The Tar Heels don’t need to win an ACC Tournament crown, but their first conference tourney title since 2016 would be nice.
The main benefit from UNC winning the ACC Tournament? Improved seeding in the Big Dance. In bracketology before the Duke (29-2, 17-1 ACC) game, Joe Lunardi had North Carolina as a five seed. That likely changed a little bit after the loss, but bracketology updates aren’t out as of Monday afternoon.
The Tar Heels need to focus on their Thursday opponent first, as a likely third matchup against the Blue Devils awaits on Friday night. Winning Thursday would be a slight bump to UNC’s NCAA Tournament seeding, making the ACC Tournament Final likely secures a Top-4 seed, while winning the conference tourney gives reason for a Top-3.
Regardless of how North Carolina fares, the Big Dance matters far more than the ACC Tournament, given the at-large lock. The Tar Heels want to be careful this week, as they can’t afford any more injuries.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball winning the ACC Tournament means a better NCAA seed
