UNC makes final push in pursuit of No. 1 seed
March is here. Well, OK, it will be in a couple of days.
With the regular season complete in some leagues and in its final week in others, teams are putting the finishing touches on their résumés for the NCAA committee’s consideration. Here are a few things to monitor over the next few days.
GAME OF THE WEEK No. 8 North Carolina at No. 19 Virginia, Monday, 7 ET, ESPN
A No. 1 regional seed is in sight for the Tar Heels. But they have a difficult stretch run to negotiate if they want to stay on the top line of the bracket, including a regular-season finale against a certain archrival from their triangular neighborhood.
First, however, they must contend with the Cavaliers, who ended a four-game skid over the weekend by defeating North Carolina State. Virginia suffered a 24-point drubbing on UNC’s home court during the losing streak, but this one should be more competitive if the Cavs can find the range early. PLAYER TO WATCH
Scoochie Smith, Dayton
A veteran point guard is a true luxury in March. The Flyers have one, and Smith proved his mettle in Saturday’s overtime win at Davidson. The 6-2 senior scored 11 of his 17 points in the extra session and finished with his usual five assists.
Dayton can close out the Atlantic 10 regular-season title Wednesday against Virginia Commonwealth (8 ET, CBS Sports Network).
The Rams won the first encounter in Richmond and can position themselves to claim the conference’s top seed if they can complete the sweep of Dayton.
CONFERENCE TO WATCH Southeastern
We focus on the SEC in the early part of the week again, as a couple of the most intriguing bubble candidates have opportunities to move closer to safe territory. In both cases, however, it will require a strong performance on the road.
Vanderbilt gets its chance Tuesday at first-place Kentucky (9 ET, ESPN). But the Wildcats just regained the league lead with a hard-fought triumph against Florida and won’t be eager to give it up.
As for Florida, the Gators will look to rebound from the setback in Lexington at home Wednesday against Arkansas (7 ET, ESPN2). The Razorbacks enter on a fivegame winning streak that has improved their NCAA case, and a win would help even more.