Joe Lunardi on North Carolina's NCAA Tournament resume: 'It's like a car accident'

Hubert Davis’ North Carolina squad is entering a pivotal week in the ACC Tournament. They’re on the bubble ahead of Selection Sunday, and the Tar Heels can stake their claim for a NCAA Tournament bid with a couple wins in Charlotte.

Ahead of their first test of the week, a showdown with the 15-17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi evaluated where North Carolina currently stands. The college basketball analyst believes the Tar Heels need to win a couple games inside the Spectrum Center if they want to truly participate in March Madness.

“They’re North Carolina. We can’t turn our eyes away. It’s like a car accident. Their season, in some ways, has been like a car accident,” Lunardi said, via SportsCenter. “1-11 in Quad One. They’re getting tired of hearing it. We’re getting tired of saying it. But eventually they’ve got to get into and win a couple of those games.

“A win today over Notre Dame gives them an opportunity tomorrow against Wake Forest to double-up in that column and maybe put them on the path for a third time around with Duke. They need at least Wake and probably Duke to be safe heading into Sunday.”

Notre Dame came into the ACC Tournament as the No. 12 seed. They survived, and advanced via a victory over Pittsburgh by one point. Now, North Carolina awaits, and they need to defeat the Fighting Irish to solidly their resume, as Lunardi pointed out.

They’ll likely need much more than that, as well. If the Tar Heels can advance beyond Notre Dame, Wake Forest will be waiting for them in the Quarterfinals. Then, a likely showdown with Duke would be around the corner in the Semifinals, if both teams can handle their business. Winning those games will certainly be easier said than done.

North Carolina was on a nice run before falling to the aforementioned Blue Devils over this past weekend. They came out strong, and only trailed by one at halftime. However, Duke pulled away in the second half, utilizing a 12-point advantage over the final 20 minutes to defeat their hated rivals inside the Dean E. Smith Center.

Regardless, Hubert Davis and company can exercise their demons and get to the NCAA Tournament if they make a run in the ACC Tournament. It all starts on Wednesday, when their game with Notre Dame tips off at 2:30 p.m. ET.