Joe Lunardi moves North Carolina past Tennessee for No. 1 seed after Quad 2 win over FSU
Joe Lunardi wrote Thursday afternoon that North Carolina would remain in the hunt for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a Quad 2 win over Florida State in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal round. The Tar Heels not only stayed in the hunt, they jumped Tennessee after the 92-67 win over the Seminoles.
“UNC and Tennessee begin a game of hop-scotch,” Lunardi wrote Thursday night.
Tennessee was Lunardi’s fourth and final No. 1 seed over the last week, with the competing for hte spot turning to North Carolina after Arizona lost at USC Saturday night.
UNC and Tennessee begin a game of hop-scotch. pic.twitter.com/mN23p4gtm3
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) March 15, 2024
Up Next: Tennessee vs. Mississippi State, SEC Tournament Quarterfinals, Friday, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
NCAA Tournament bracket projections from both ESPN and CBS Sports had the Vols as the No. 1 seed in the West Region ahead of No. 2-seed Arizona. Thursday night, Lunardi flipped Tennessee to the No. 2 seed in the South Region, alongside No. 1-seed Houston.
Tennessee, which opens SEC Tournament play as the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinal round against Mississippi State on Friday (1 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN) is currently No. 5 in the NET with a 7-6 Quad 1 record and 6-1 Quad 2 record. Friday’s game is a Quad 1 game for the Vols.
North Carolina (25-6) is the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament and will play Pitt in the semifinal round on Friday, a Quad 1 opportunity. The Tar Heels on Thursday were ranked No. 7 in the NET with an 8-3 Quad 1 record and 6-3 Quad 2 record.
Tennessee has never been a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Vols have been a No. 2 seed three times (2006, 2008 and 2019) and a No. 3 seed twice (2018, 2022).
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Comparing Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament resume vs. North Carolina
North Carolina’s eight Quad 1 wins have come against Tennessee (No. 5), Duke (No. 10; twice), Clemson (No. 26), Oklahoma (No. 42), Pittsburgh (No. 44) and Virginia (No. 51) and North Carolina State (No. 73). The Quad 1 losses for the Tar Heels were against No. 3 UConn, No. 19 Kentucky and No. 33 Villanova.
North Carolina is 6-2 in Quad 2, with losses to No. 80 Syracuse and No. 126 Georgia Tech. UNC is a combined 12-0 in Quad 3 (7-0) and Quad 4 (5-0).
Tennessee’s seven Quad 1 wins came against Auburn (No. 6), Alabama (No. 8; twice), Illinois (No. 15), at Wisconsin (No. 22), Kentucky (No. 19) and at South Carolina (No. 49). The Quad 1 losses are against Purdue (No. 2), at North Carolina (No. 7), Kanas (No. 18), at Mississippi State (No. 42) and at Texas A&M (No. 46).
The Vols are 6-1 in Quad 2, with a home loss to South Carolina (No. 49) and a combined 11-0 in Quad 3 (6-0) and Quad 4 (5-0).
