The North Carolina Tar Heels are back in the NCAA Tournament after a one-year hiatus, and this time, they’re a No. 1 seed poised to make some serious noise.
Just two years removed from making a run to the title game as a No. 8 seed—where they lost to Kansas—the Tar Heels are one of the best college basketball teams in the country and have a nice draw as they look to win the seventh national championship in school history.
The North Carolina vs Wagner lines like the Tar Heels’ chances to get started with a comfortable win.
It has been a wild season for North Carolina’s first-round opponent, the Wagner Seahawks from Staten Island in New York City.
NCAAB injuries have ravaged Donald Copeland’s team , and by December, the Seahawks had lost six players to season-ending injuries (including four starters).
Despite being down to seven scholarship NCAAB players, Wagner stayed in the mix in the Northeast Conference and won the conference tournament to earn their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2003.
The NCAA Tournament predictions didn’t even think Wagner would win its First Four game on Tuesday night, where the underdog Seahawks blew a substantial second-half lead against Howard but managed to hold on to secure the program’s first-ever Big Dance win.
It seemed as if the Seahawks squandered a huge opportunity, but as they had done all season, they had done enough to survive and advance.
Now, they’re rewarded by playing a really good North Carolina team in what is basically a home game for the Tar Heels, who are favored by 25 points.
