UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis and guard RJ Davis Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

UNC Basketball Now Predicted to Miss NCAA Tournament

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Matt Giles | Last updated Mar 16, 2025 6:28 AM ET

The March Madness Selection Show airs at 6 p.m. ET Sunday (CBS). And if ESPN's latest update to its NCAA Bracketology on Saturday night proves correct when it comes to the UNC basketball team's fate, Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels will miss the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi now lists UNC (22-13) second on his "First Four Out" column, sitting below Boise State while above Texas and Ohio State.

pic.twitter.com/2klIClkfib
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) March 16, 2025

Before the Tar Heels fell to archrival Duke, 74-71, in the ACC Tournament semifinals on Friday night, UNC basketball held the "Last Team In" distinction as a projected No. 11 seed in the eyes of Lunardi after posting victories over Notre Dame and Wake Forest on back-to-back days in Charlotte's Spectrum Center.

With 12 hours to go before the Selection Show begins, Lunardi foresees only three ACC squads competing in the Big Dance: No. 1 seed Duke, No. 5 seed Clemson, and No. 6 seed Louisville.

Should UNC come up short of an at-large bid, the 2024-25 Tar Heels won't play another game unless they were to accept an NIT invite.

This article first appeared on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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