The North Carolina men’s basketball felt the weight of being a preseason disappointment on Selection Sunday.
After entering the 2022-23 college hoops season as the top-ranked preseason team, the Tar Heels missed out on the 2023 NCAA tournament and quickly declined a spot in the NIT.
It’s a dramatic fall from grace for the legacy program that so much was expected from early in the season. They’re actually the first team to miss the NCAA tournament after being ranked No. 1 in preseason since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in the 1980s.
North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis cited a desire to “focus on moving ahead” to future priorities as reasoning for not joining the NIT field.
Tar Heels choose not to participate in 2023 NIT.
🔗: https://t.co/o6wWdno4uo pic.twitter.com/fIu4NVgX6k
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) March 12, 2023
Well, Tar Heels fans will have to wait until next year to see how North Carolina rebounds on what’s a historically disappointing season.
The team probably would’ve fared quite well in the NIT, but we’ll never know how well. At least the Tar Heels won’t have to worry about preseason ranking pressure next season?
