With March Madness right around the corner, Michigan and UNC could see their bubble burst. In Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology forecast of the NCAA Tournament field, both Michigan and North Carolina are listed among the “first four out.”
For North Carolina, missing the tournament would be especially ignominious—no preseason #1 has ever missed the Tournament since the field expanded to 64 in 1985. Despite returning the spine of last year's national runner-up, the Tar Heels have struggled to even tread water in a mediocre ACC.
At 19-11 (11-8 in conference), UNC has fallen woefully short of expectations. What's more, they may be even worse than their already middling record indicates—UNC has gone 1-8 in Quadrant 1 games, underlining the gap between them and actually good teams.
UNC was feted as a powerhouse on account of the talent they retained, but their season has been harpooned by what they lost from last season. Shooting a meager 31.1% from 3 (329th in the country), the Tar Heels have desperately missed Brady Manek, the graduate transfer whose sharpshooting keyed UNC's surprising March Madness last season.
While Michigan wasn't as hyped up as UNC entering this season, they've still been monumentally disappointing, scuffling to a 17-13 (11-8) record after also starting the season in the top 25. Arguably the most talented team in the Big Ten, Michigan boasts an All-American center (Hunter Dickinson), a future lottery pick (Jett Howard) and yet another potential first rounder (Kobe Bufkin) to boot.
That firepower, though, has failed to translate to wins. Heading into their season finale against Indiana on Saturday, the Wolverines have gone just 8-13 against Q1 and Q2 opponents.
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