AP preseason No. 1 North Carolina may have already clinched NCAA Tournament bid

Congratulations to the North Carolina Tar Heels for qualifying for the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

We kid. Sort of.

The season doesn’t begin until Nov. 7, but the Tar Heels got a huge boost upon their No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press's preseason poll. That’s because every team ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll has made the tournament.

North Carolina doesn’t look like a good bet to be the first to miss out on the dance. The Heels return a core that led them to a 29-10 record and an appearance in the national title game in coach Hubert Davis’s first year.

They are led by 6-foot-10, 240-pound senior forward Armando Bacot, a huge presence in the team's run last season. He hopes to build off his 2021-22 averages of 16.3 points and 13.1 rebounds. Also returning are junior guards Caleb Love and R.J. Davis, the second- and fourth-highest scorers on the team last season. 

"The only difference between last year and this year is the outside noise," Davis told the Daily Tar Heel. 

The crown bestowed upon the Tar Heels as the AP's No. 1 team with the season approaching will only make the noise even louder.

By the way, Selection Sunday for the tournament is March 12, 2023. If North Carolina isn't one of the schools chosen, it will be sheer madness.