Where UNC stands in the latest USA Today bracketology

Jan 31, 2026 - 21:30

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Where UNC stands in the latest USA Today bracketology

The North Carolina Tar Heels are coming off a big week with a 2-0 finish, including an upset win over Virginia last weekend. As they prepare for another game on Saturday at Gerogia Tech, their NCAA Tournament resume improved.

USA TODAY Sports has released its latest bracketology, and North Carolina has moved back to a top-five seed.

The Tar Heels are currently the No. 5 seed in the South Region. UNC is 16-4 overall and 4-3 in ACC play. The Tar Heels will play Georgia Tech on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.

They move up after defeating Notre Dame and upsetting No. 14 Virginia on the road.

Here is USA Today’s bracketology. As of right now, #UNC is placed as the 5th seed in the South Region. pic.twitter.com/NSOq2REYqZ— Grant Chachere (Sash-Er-Ray) (@ChachereGrant) January 31, 2026

Here is how the South Region shapes up with the regional finals being played in Houston:

No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 16 Tennessee-MartinNo. 8 Kentucky vs. No. 9 WisconsinNo. 5 North Carolina vs. No. 12 South FloridaNo. 4 Vanderbilt vs. No. 13 UNC WilmingtonNo. 6 Clemson vs. No. 11 New Mexico/IndianaNo. 3 BYU vs. No. 14 Portland StateNo. 7 Georgia vs. No. 10 UCFNo. 2 Nebraska vs. No. 15 East Tennessee State

The path out of the South is anything but straightforward.

USA Today projects North Carolina to take on No. 12 South Florida in the first round. If the Tar Heels win that game, they would play the winner of Vanderbilt and UNC Wilmington.

Looking at the rest of the bracket, it’s a deep one and anyone has a shot to be the final team out of the South Region and advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis. If this were the actual field, UNC would have a strong chance.