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Dick Vitale makes definitive statement on UNC's NCAA Tournament chances

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•03/13/25
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Ethan Miller | Getty Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels are currently battling for their NCAA Tournament lives. The ‘Heels have clearly played themselves into the bubble mix with their play down the stretch. And they continue to win in the 2025 ACC Basketball Tournament, which only helps to strengthen their case. On Thursday evening, Dick Vitale pounded the table for UNC to be in the 2025 NCAA Tournament field.

He took to Twitter to state his case. And he made sure to say that the ‘Heels have numerous wins against legit D-I opponents.

Dick Vitale thinks UNC is in the NCAA Tournament

“Yes, UNC basketball will be part of March Madness as they won 8 of their last 9. Yes, I know they were not Quad 1 wins, but they beat legit D-1 power conference teams from ACC. Hubert Davis never gave up on his team when struggled & motivated them to finish strong,” Vitale tweeted on Thursday evening.

“Today, the Tar Heels were tough in the last 3 minutes as broke open a nailbiter winning 68-59 in a must win game vs. Wake Forest. RJ Davis who has had a brilliant career led the way with 23 points. Next up, Round 3 vs. Duke Men’s Basketball, who most likely in the words of Jon Scheyer will be w/o Cooper Flagg,” Vitale finished.

The Tar Heels now sit at 22-12 overall, right on the edge of the bubble. It’s certainly going to be very close whether or not they make it in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. On Friday, they’ll go against their rivals, the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament Semifinals. It sounds as if the Blue Devils will be without Cooper Flagg, which would be a big boost for the ‘Heels.

That being said, the Blue Devils have no shortage of talent and they’ve been one of the most dominant teams in college basketball history this year. It’ll be a tall task to beat Duke even without Cooper Flagg. Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach helped to carry the load on Thursday afternoon. The Blue Devils managed to stave off a very pesky Georgia Tech team that had them trailing at halftime.

No. 1 seed Duke and No. 5 seed North Carolina will face off against each other on Friday night in the ACC Tournament Semifinals. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 PM EST on ESPN.