Joe Lunardi evaluates North Carolina's NCAA Tournament hopes after loss to Virginia

When North Carolina lost to Duke at home, the path to the NCAA Tournament was a tough one. Many thought the Tar Heels would have to go all the way in Greensboro, getting multiple wins against Quad 1 opponents. Virginia was the first opportunity but as they have frequently this season, UNC fell short.

The dream is finally over in Chapel Hill, at least according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. He claims to be looking for scenarios where North Carolina will make the tournament but they do not exist. If there is postseason basketball to be played, head coach Hubert Davis will be in the NIT.

“In a word, no,” Lunardi said when asked if UNC would be in the field of 68 on Selection Sunday. “I just can’t find a scenario where they have enough quality wins compared to all of the other bubble teams they’re fighting. They’re just not going to make it.”

Virginia is the only Quad 1 win North Carolina has on the resume, beating them in Charlottesville earlier in the season. There was nearly another double-digit number of opportunities to add another quality win but each time, they have been on the losing end.

Heading into Thursday night, the Tar Heels were the third team out according to Lunardi. Teams ahead of them on the bubble lost as well, with Nevada and Oklahoma State crashing out of their respective conference tournaments. Had there been a win, a golden opportunity would have come to fruition.

More on North Carolina, disappointing season

North Carolina caught fire a season ago, making a run to the national championship game. There was even a 15-point lead before Kansas came storming back to claim another title under head coach Bill Self. Yes, there was heartbreak but the future looked bright for Davis.

Then, nearly the entire roster decided to return and make another push to add a banner to the rafters at the Dean Dome. All but Brady Manek returned and many assumed North Carolina would steamroll through the regular season before performing well in March once again.

Unfortunately, the same magic could not be recreated, with struggles coming all season. The likes of Caleb Love and RJ Davis were not consistent, while Armando Bacot was continually struggling through different injuries.

It will always be a huge ‘what if?’ for North Carolina, especially with all of the preseason hype. A tough pill to swallow after a Virginia loss.