CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –– After three lower-level, non-conference matchups to start the season, the Tar Heels are headed to some warmer weather but tougher competition as they travel down to the Bahamas for Battle 4 Atlantis competition beginning on Wednesday.
After wins over Radford, Lehigh and UC Riverside, the No.14-ranked Tar Heels will face Northern Iowa on Nov. 22, the first of a three-game slate in Paradise Island.
On Thanksgiving Day, the Tar Heels will face the winner of No.21-ranked Villanova vs. Texas Tech. The following Friday they could face an array of programs in Arkansas, Memphis, Michigan or Stanford before returning to Chapel Hill.
North Carolina is the sole representative of the Atlantic Coast Conference and each of the eight programs invited will be awarded a $2 million prize in exchange for their participation in the event.
This will be UNC’s third appearance in the tournament and first since 2019. That year the Tar Heels secured a 76-67 victory over Alabama in the first round, but went on to lose to Michigan 73-64 in the semifinals. UNC went on to win the third place game against Oregon, 78-74 win over.
Armando Bacot will be making his second appearance in the tournament since he was a freshman playing alongside Garrison Brooks and Cole Anthony.
We can learn a lot about the strength of this team after this week as there are plenty of quality teams in the tournament field. Especially with the ACC/SEC Challenge against No.7-ranked Tennessee quickly approaching on Nov. 29th.