North Carolina Gets Bad News in 1st Official Bracket Reveal

The North Carolina Tar Heels have had an up-and-down season filled with untimely losses, unfortunate injuries, and poor performances, which was evident in the NCAA men's basketball selection committee's bracket preview, which was revealed on Saturday.

It contained the top 16 teams in the field, as the top four seeds in each region were laid out. The Midwest region consisted of Michigan - the No.1 overall seed, (2) Houston, (3) Florida, and 4 (Virginia). The East Region contained (1) Duke, (2) Illinois, (3), Kansas, and (4) Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, the West region included (1) Arizona, (2) Purdue, (3) Gonzaga, and (4) Michigan State. Finally, the South region read (1) Iowa State, (2) Connecticut, (3) Nebraska, and (4) Texas Tech.

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Kyan Evans (0) and center Henri Veesaar (13) and guard Derek Dixon (3) and forward Caleb Wilson (8) and guard Seth Trimble (7) come back on the court during the second half against the SMU Mustangs at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Unsurprisingly, the Tar Heels were not included in the initial bracket reveal, but there is still plenty of time for North Carolina to make up some ground. It will be a tall task without Caleb Wilson, who could be out the rest of the regular season, with the goal of being as healthy as possible for the tournament as the main goal.

With that being said, here are a couple of thoughts for the Tar Heels, with the regular season wrapping up in the next few weeks, signaling the start of March Madness discourse.

Favorable Results from Saturday

Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jonathan Powell (11) and center Henri Veesaar (13) react during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

First and foremost, North Carolina took care of business, defeating the Syracuse Orange 77-64 in Henri Veesaar's return. While earning a four seed could be considered a longshot, there were a couple results - against teams North Carolina could theoretically catch - that went the Tar Heels' way.

Kansas, which was listed as a three-seed, suffered a shocking home loss against Cincinnati, while Vanderbilt, ranked as a four-seed, lost to Tennessee. North Carolina is unlikely to earn a three-seed, barring a conference tournament title, but there is still a shot at one of the top four seeds if it can close out the season strong.

North Carolina's Ranking is Dependent on Wilson's Health

Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) drives to the basket against Miami Hurricanes center Ernest Udeh Jr. (8) during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

There was a team that was included on this list who's situation somewhat correlates with North Carolina. Earlier this week, Texas Tech's forward JT Toppin suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out for the rest of the season. According to Committee Chair Keith Gill, that played a role in the Red Raiders slipping one line down to a four-seed.

"When we scrubbed on Thursday morning, [Texas Tech] up dropping to the 4-line," Gill said.

Although the Tar Heels' current seeding is unknown, based on this information, Wilson's injury status certainly a factor in North Carolina being a lower seed than it would be if the star freshman was healthy.

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