The No. 1 seed: North Carolina Tar Heels (28-6, 14-4 in the ACC). The Tar Heels asserted their dominance in the ACC, claiming both the regular-season title and the conference tournament crown to earn a top seed in the NCAA tournament. Although North Carolina looked a bit shaky early in the year as point guard Marcus Paige sat out with a hand injury and the team suffered nonconference losses to Northern Iowa and Texas, the Tar Heels proved themselves as one of the most talented teams in the country as the season progressed. Head coach Roy Williams enjoys an embarrasment of riches in the frontcourt, with Brice Johnson and his nightly double-double complemented by 6-foot-9 forward Kennedy Meeks, ACC Sixth Man of the Year Isaiah Hicks and 6-foot-8 swingman Justin Jackson on the wing. North Carolina is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation, and has plenty of veteran experience in the backcourt with Paige and Joel Berry II. If the Tar Heels have one weakness, it's their inconsistent shooting from the perimeter—but if Paige and Berry II continue to knock down shots like they did during the ACC tournament, few teams can stand in the way of North Carolina cutting down the nets in Houston.
The other contenders: Despite its impressive regular-season the Tar Heels were not granted an easy path to the Final Four by the selection committee in what is widely regarded as the toughest region. Second-seeded Xavier recorded several quality wins during the year, and was surging into the tournament until it lost to Seton Hall twice in a two-week stretch at the end of conference play. The real depth of the region comes in the middle seeds. A potential second-round matchup between fourth-seeded Kentucky and fifth-seeded Indiana looms as one of the most exciting first-weekend storylines, and both teams have underlying talent better than their records indicate. At the bottom of the region, third-seeded West Virginia looms with its press defense and aggressive style. Sixth-seeded Notre Dame defeated North Carolina during the regular season before getting blown out by the Tar Heels in the ACC tournament. Head coach Mike Brey's squad is just a year removed from an Elite Eight run in which came seconds away from taking down undefeated Kentucky.
The potential Cinderella: Michigan—It's pretty unusual to view the Wolverines in an underdog role, but that's exactly what they are as a No. 11 seed competing in a play-in game against Tulsa just to make it to the round of 64. Michigan has struggled some against top opponents this season—with just a 3-9 record against ranked foes—but notched a big win versus Maryland early in conference play and defeated Indiana in the Big Ten tournament. If they can get past the Golden Hurricanes in the play-in game, the Wolverines' four double-digit scorers should help them keep pace with an equally-balanced Notre Dame offense.
With star Caris LeVert sidelined due to injury, point guard Derrick Walton Jr. will go toe-to-toe against Demetrius Jackson—who is running the show for the first time in March—and potentially against the Mountaineers' pressure defense with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
The regional narrative: Offense, offense, and more offense. West Virginia and its elite defense seems out of place in a region that is home to four of the top 10 offenses in the nation—plus Xavier at No. 18—according to basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy's adjusted efficiency rankings. Tyler Ulis, Demetrius Jackson and Yogi Ferrell sit at the helm of offenses that can light up the scoreboard at any time and are capable of upsetting Paige, Johnson and the rest of the North Carolina squad.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.