Will UNC basketball accept an NIT bid if the Tar Heels miss the NCAA Tournament?
GREENSBORO – Could North Carolina basketball go from the preseason No. 1 team to the NIT?
The Tar Heels are likely to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 13 years. The last time UNC played in the NIT was the 2009-10 season.
Following a 68-59 loss to Virginia at the ACC Tournament on Thursday, UNC’s Armando Bacot discussed the possibility of the Tar Heels accepting a bid to the NIT.
“I would be capable of it, but interested? I don’t really know,” Bacot, who was hobbled by an ankle injury, said.
UNC LOSES TO UVA:UNC basketball unlikely to make NCAA Tournament after loss to Virginia at ACC Tournament
BACOT INJURY:What Hubert Davis said about Armando Bacot's injury for UNC-Virginia at ACC Tournament
NIT BOUND?Will UNC basketball accept an NIT bid if the Tar Heels miss the NCAA Tournament?
When asked how he would make that decision, Bacot said he’ll play “if that’s what coach tells us to do, but that’s not something I wanna do.”
In the interview room, second-year coach Hubert Davis said: “I’m not thinking about that at all right now.”
"We just lost a game," Davis added. "I'm thinking about them and thinking about this team, and that's the only thing on my mind right now."
The Tar Heels (20-13) entered Thursday’s game projected to be among the first four teams out, according to several bracketology projections. If UNC doesn’t hear its name called on Selection Sunday, Caleb Love said he “would want to play” in the NIT.
“I, obviously, want to win something for this team,” Love said. “Whatever is in the best interest for this team, that’s what I wanna do.”
Before his press conference ended, Hubert Davis was asked what his case would be to the selection committee on why UNC is an NCAA Tournament team.
"I don't know. You know, again, I'm not — I know it's hard for you guys to think that I'm not thinking about that. Our record is our record, and I know that — I think regardless of our record, I think we have shown throughout the entire year that we can compete and play and beat anybody in the country," he said.
"But I know that we played a really tough nonconference schedule. I know that the ACC for whatever reason is undervalued as one of the elite if not the elite conferences in college basketball, and still trying to understand — I understand the Quad — it could be a Quad 1 win in November, but in March it's not.
"But at the end of the day, we had chances. For eight or nine of the 13 losses that we had, we were up in the second half. So we had our chances."
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Will UNC basketball accept NIT bid if Tar Heels miss NCAA Tournament?
