The North Carolina Tar Heels are one of college basketball’s most exciting teams to watch this season, but they’re also one of the most confusing.
UNC (16-4, 4-3 ACC) secured its most important win of the season on Saturday, an 85-80 comeback at ranked Virginia. Jarin Stevenson scored all 17 of his points in the second half, while North Carolina neutralized the Cavaliers’ (16-3, 5-2 ACC) post attack.
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The Tar Heels also have ranked wins vs. Kansas (87-74) and at Kentucky (67-64), but losses at SMU (97-83), Stanford (95-90) and Cal (84-78).
On Monday afternoon, Nielsen named UNC as college basketball’s fourth-most-watched team. North Carolina trails only Michigan State (first), Duke (second) and Arkansas, who are all ranked ahead of the Tar Heels, in this week’s AP Poll.
UNC already played the Spartans, suffering their first loss in a 74-58 defeat on Thanksgiving Day. North Carolina will host its archrival on February 7, then travel to Durham on March 7. The Tar Heels won’t face Arkansas in regular season action, but don’t be shocked to see an NCAA Tournament matchup between both programs.
UNC’s style of play makes games extremely exciting to watch. Not only does North Carolina feature the highlight-reel dunks of Caleb Wilson, but a true, 7-foot center in Henri Veesaar who can do just about anything.
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The Tar Heels are young, fast and have a deep team, with any starter or reserve capable of producing key moments. How far can UNC play into March?
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball: Tar Heels among top 5 teams watched this country