Grant Halverson/Getty Photographs
The North Carolina males’s basketball group began the season No. 1 within the nation with championship expectations after reaching the 2022 nationwide title recreation.
And now it would most likely miss the NCAA match.
Virginia defeated the Tar Heels 69-59 in Thursday’s ACC match quarterfinals recreation in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Cavaliers had been the No. 2 seed within the match and earned the win within the rubber match after splitting the 2 regular-season video games with the No. 7 seed Tar Heels.
North Carolina’s loss drew loads of response on social media with its match hopes seemingly dashed:
Dan Wolken @DanWolken
North Carolina, the preseason No. 1 group, loses to Virginia and is nearly actually NIT-bound. An enormous failure of a season for Hubert Davis and a gaggle of gamers that made the NCAA title recreation a yr in the past.
Brad Evans @NoisyHuevos
For these within the again, North Carolina’s NCAA Event hopes … pic.twitter.com/Wsattf5TIh
Taylor Vippolis @tvippolis
No person accountable however themselves. That is who UNC was all season. A whole disappointment.
Lukas Harkins @hardwiredsports
My sincerest apologies to @Riley_Davis3, however I feel that’ll do it for the North Carolina bubble dialog. Tar Heels, like so many different bubble groups regular this week, miss a giant alternative. UNC was extra behind the eight ball than these groups, although.
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Ben Stevens @BenScottStevens
North Carolina attempting to get in to the NCAA Event. pic.twitter.com/4HToshdFWW
russbengtson.eesh @russbengtson
Matt Norlander @MattNorlander
Unofficially official: UNC would be the first preseason No. 1 group to fail to make the NCAA Event within the 64/65/68-team period.
John Hollinger @johnhollinger
Cannot spell “North Carolina Tar Heels” with out “N-I-T” #wahoowa
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The Tar Heels’ possibilities to make the Massive Dance served as the most important storyline coming into the competition. In spite of everything, this was the No. 1 group within the nation within the preseason rankings, however Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller didn’t have it within the 68-team subject in his most up-to-date projected bracket.
UNC possible needed to win Thursday’s contest to achieve the match, and it was nonetheless properly inside putting distance with a 25-24 halftime deficit despite the fact that the early offense was both R.J. Davis or bust. The guard scored 12 of his group’s factors within the first half and continued to hold the scoring after intermission on his strategy to 24.
That wasn’t sufficient to keep away from a double-digit deficit within the last 10 minutes, however Caleb Love hit a number of threes to assist shut the hole and at last present some secondary scoring after it was virtually all Davis for a lot of the competition.
But Virginia iced the win away with clutch free-throw capturing down the stretch. Jayden Gardner led the way in which with a double-double of 17 factors and 10 rebounds, and his group is now two wins away from a convention tourney crown.
Virginia advances to Friday’s semifinals recreation and can face the victor of the quarterfinal matchup between Clemson and North Carolina State.