North Carolina received an eight seed in the NCAA Tournament’s East region and will face the No. 9 seed Marquette in the first round on Thursday in Fort Worth. The winner could potentially face a second round showdown with defending national champion Baylor.
But Carolina (24-9) should know from last year’s experience not to peek ahead to a matchup with the Bears. When it did last season as a No. 8 seed, it got pummeled by No. 9 seed Wisconsin 85-62 and never faced No. 1 Baylor.
The tenure of coach Hubert Davis began in earnest last year after their first round loss to the Badgers when he essentially led the postgame remarks. Former coach Roy Williams was too emotional, as he knew it was his final game as head coach although he still hadn’t revealed it to anyone.
