The NCAA Tournament bracket has been released, and North Carolina is the No. 6 seed in the South Region.
The Tar Heels do not have an easy region by any means, as their first game is against NCAA Tournament regular No. 11 VCU and a potential matchup against No. 3 seed Illinois in the Round of 32 if both teams make it that far. Also in the bracket are defending national champion No. 1 seed Florida and defending national runner-up No. 2 seed Houston.
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Here are some takeaways from the announcement.
UNC’s first round opponent is no slouch
Former Xavier commit Nyk Lewis (1) was the A-10 Rookie of the Year this season at VCU. He helped lead the Rams to the A-10 Tournament title.
VCU may be the No. 11 seed, but the Rams have been to the Big Dance 15 times since 2004. Of those 15 appearances, they have won in the first round five times, including a win over sixth-seeded Duke in 2007 and, of course, their Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2011.
VCU’s offense is one of the best in the country, averaging 81.6 points per game and shooting 36.7% from three-point range, which is 37th nationally. It should be noted that the Tar Heels have allowed opponents to shoot 34.5% from beyond the arc, which is 238th nationally and 14th in the conference. The Tar Heels were last in conference play in three-point defense, as they allowed opponents to shoot 38.5% from downtown.
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It would be a miracle if UNC got past the first weekend
Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) reacts at the end of the game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Even if the Tar Heels get out of the first round, Illinois – barring an upset from Penn in the first round – is a much better team than the Tar Heels. The Fighting Illini have excellent guard play that has Illinois averaging 84.4 points per game (21st nationally), something Carolina has struggled against at times this year, and they are 11th in rebounding, something Carolina also struggled with late in the season.
Of the eight players that play for Illinois the most minutes, all but one is 6-foot-6 or taller. That does not bode well for UNC, considering only Luka Bogavac is a 6-foot-6 guard. While having Henri Veesaar helps and Jarin Stevenson’s ability to guard all five positions on the court is valuable, the backcourt has to be at its best on both ends. But everyone has to box out and rebound.
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It’s not impossible, but unlikely given how UNC has played in its last two games.
First-weekend location does benefit Tar Heels
Mar 22, 2025; Wichita, KS, USA; A general view of a March Madness logo at center court before the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Drake Bulldogs at Intrust Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images
The good news for UNC is that it will be playing in Greenville, S.C., which is Tar Heel territory. Greenville is a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Chapel Hill, an hour and a half from Charlotte and an hour and 15 minutes from Asheville. Those are manageable drives for many North Carolina fans, so expect the arena to be Carolina blue for the games where the Tar Heels are on the court.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: What to take away from UNC’s challenging tournament path
