{
  "id": 12926576,
  "title": "UNC Basketball barely in field of Joe Lunardi's Bracketology",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/unc-basketball-barely-in-field-of-joe-lunardis-bracketology",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-08T18:27:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/unc-basketball-barely-field-joe-182742683.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The North Carolina Tar Heels are set to begin their exhibition games with a matchup against USC in Greensboro, marking their debut under head coach Michael Malone for the 2025-26 season. Malone succeeded Hubert Davis following a challenging year, leaving many questions about the team's future. With the NCAA Tournament field expanded to 76 teams, missing the tournament would be surprising. However, according to bracketologist Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology forecast on ESPN, the Tar Heels are narrowly in contention for the tournament but positioned to miss the opening round. Lunardi includes North Carolina among the \"last four byes,\" meaning they will enter the tournament without having to play in the expanded Opening Round. The Tar Heels are projected as a No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region, facing Missouri. Illinois holds the top seed in the region. Given the uncertainty surrounding Malone's coaching style and roster depth, particularly at the center position, Lunardi's prediction holds some merit. Still, with ample time until Selection Sunday, the Tar Heels have ample opportunity to enhance their credentials.",
  "summary": "The UNC Basketball program is a 'last four bye' team in ESPN's Joe Lunardi's Bracketology.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}