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North Carolina’s bubble hopes still alive and well as Tar Heels win fourth straight

It’s been a less than ideal season at Chapel Hill in year four under Hubert Davis, but with three games left in the regular season, North Carolina still has itself a solid chance at reaching the NCAA Tournament. As it stands on the morning of February 25, the Tar Heels are the first team out of the field in ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology, even with just a 1-10 record inside Quad 1. The Tar Heels surrendered their five Quad 1 opportunities so far in ACC play, but everything will be up for grabs on the final day of the regular season when North Carolina hosts Duke.

Up until then, UNC needs to be perfect, and since a road loss to Clemson, the Tar Heels have been exactly that. After struggling to an 88-82 home win over Syracuse, North Carolina has won three straight by double figures, blowing out NC State and Virginia at home before the most impressive win of the streak came last night at Florida State. Both teams had it going offensively, and it was tight for much of the first half until Cade Tyson, Jalen Washington, and RJ Davis combined for a nice run, giving North Carolina a 49-43 halftime lead.

After a hot start from UNC in the second half was extended with back-to-back threes from Davis and Elliot Cadeau, North Carolina’s run spanned 30-13 across the two halves. North Carolina’s lead at that point was 14, and the game never got closer than six points as UNC ran out to a 96-85 victory.

Davis led the way with 20 points for the Tar Heels, reaching 20+ for just the second time in the last eight games, but his effective night from the field at 5-of-9 is a good sign for North Carolina as the calendar heads towards March. After a tremendous start to the season, Seth Trimble has had some tough outings in conference play, but the junior guard scored 17 points off the bench for UNC last night.

Cadeau added ten points and seven assists, and while Ian Jackson struggled with just five points, it’ll be up to the aforementioned three older guards in the backcourt to be the leaders as the importance level ratchets up. Jackson will have his opportunity to be the guy in a game or two, as he showed in his tremendous seven-game stretch in late December-early January, but it will be the consistency of Davis, Trimble, and Cadeau that decides what this team is capable of.

Carolina’s bigs, Ven-Allen Lubin, Jae’Lyn Withers, and Jalen Washington each scored in double figures against Florida State, another important development for UNC as the Tar Heels have been looking for frontcourt production all season long.

North Carolina has tune-ups against Miami and Virginia Tech before Duke comes to town to finish the regular season. Right on the cutline, it’ll likely come down to what UNC can do in the ACC Tournament if the Tar Heels fail to pick up the signature win at home against their biggest rivals.

Other Things to Note:

• Milos Uzan scores 22 to lead #4 Houston past injury-riddled #10 Texas Tech on the road 69-61
• #15 Michigan struggles past Nebraska on the road, winning 49-46 in Pinnacle Bank Arena
• #3 Florida visits Georgia for much-anticipated rivalry matchup inside Stegman Coliseum (7:00 ET, SECN)
• Top 25 battle in Tuscaloosa as #6 Alabama hosts #24 Mississippi State (9:00 ET, ESPN2)
• New Mexico and Gonzaga face stern tests in California as the Lobos face San Diego State and the Zags meet Santa Clara (11:00 ET, FS1 – CBSSN)