UNC To Open in Winston-Salem; Duke Heads to Buffalo

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UNC To Open in Winston-Salem; Duke Heads to Buffalo

By Ryan Craig

Mar 12, 2007

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North Carolina was the regular season co-champion and tournament champion of the highest rated conference in the nation. For that, they are rewarded with a No. 1 seed in the East region, and rightfully so.

The Tar Heels will get to stay close to home as the No. 1 seed, with their first-round game against Eastern Kentucky to be played in Winston-Salem. If North Carolina can navigate through the winner of a very tough 8/9 matchup between Marquette and Michigan State, they could face the National Player of the Year favorite, freshman Kevin Durant, and his Texas Longhorn squad in the Sweet Sixteen.

Looking farther down the road, the Heels could see a red-hot Georgetown Hoyas team in the regional finals.

The potential Final Four matchup with Ohio State is an intriguing one. The Buckeyes would be looking to avenge an early season 98-89 loss in Chapel Hill. In that game, the Big Ten tournament champion was without their freshman sensation and potential No. 1 overall pick in this year's NBA draft, Greg Oden.

Duke staggered to the finish line in what has been one of the Blue Devils' toughest seasons in recent memory. Their first-round loss in the ACC Tournament, combined with two tough losses to Maryland and North Carolina in the final week of the regular season, left them as a No. 6 seed in the West region.

Accustomed to being either a one or two seed, the Blue Devils' lower ranking will force them to travel to the West Coast for their first-round matchup with VCU. If Duke wins that game, they will likely face Big East Tournament runner-up Pittsburgh, where the Blue Devils would be a heavy underdog.

If Duke plays well enough to advance any further, last year's national runner-up UCLA will likely be waiting for them in the Sweet Sixteen. What makes life harder for the Blue Devils is that the game would be played in San Jose, making it virtually a home game for the Bruins.

The ACC sent seven teams in all to the tournament, up from four last year. The Big East, Big Ten and Pac-10 sent six.

N.C. State did not receive an NCAA bid, but the team was invited to participate in the NIT. The Wolfpack is scheduled to play Drexel on Tuesday, according to the NIT's Web site.

Second-round action takes place March 15 through March19, with the quarterfinals being held on March 20 and 21. The four finalists converge on New York's Madison Square Garden for the semi-final doubleheader on March 27, with the championship game taking place on March 29.

Web Editor: Ryan Craig

Most Recent Comments

I guess I'm just too old to understand all this bickering among you guys...I went to UNC so naturally I'm a Tar Heel fan. But second, I'm an ACC fan. My skin crawls when I see someone say that the SEC or Big Ten is a stronger conference than the ACC. I have in the past pulled for State, Duke, Maryland etc to keep our conference strong. Pull for you teams, that is a give but put aside all these childest comments. Lets keep the ACC the best..

Packhead is a true classy fan. Maddie Girl...how many times must it be said??? STICK TO MAKING BABIES!

Is Ewe NC the best shot you can take at UNC? That's pretty weak. Must be a Duke fan. Sorry about your season. Maybe next year. Look on the bright side. At least you got a better seeding the the NCAA than you earned. In my opinion, NCSU should have gotten your spot after beating you in the tournament.

bw-23....Who's got a better one otafter UNC? Just curious.

So does anybody else think Ewe NC's 28-6 record does not constitute their NCAA ranking?

The other records are 30-4, 30-4, 29-5...so out of the four #1 seeds, Ewe NC's got the worst record.

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