North Carolina and Arizona. One a blue blood, the other as close as you can get to that distinction without actually owning the label. Regardless: Two of the 13 most important and successful programs in college basketball history. When they’re really good the sport feels stronger, more appealing.
This season, neither has been good — certainly not consistent — despite that being the expectation heading in. In October, they were both honored with top-10 status in the preseason AP Top 25 after earning top seeds last March.
Through the first 60 days of the season, they’d combined to go 15-11, turning up the two most disappointing nonconference tours of any schools in the preseason rankings. North Carolina had an awful habit of slow starts (trailing considerably in the first half of almost every game), while Arizona oddly no-showed in every battle against a good opponent, having not defeated a top-60 team, going 0-5 in those chances.
Saturday provided possibility amidst the backdrop of what was, going in, arguably the best Saturday slate so far. North Carolina and Arizona found themselves forced into the background on a day littered with plenty of highly anticipated affairs. Their games didn’t seem to matter nearly as much when pitted against the pulpy potential of: No. 6 Florida vs. No. 10 Kentucky, No. 25 Baylor vs. No. 3 Iowa State, No. 23 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Tennessee, No. 4 Duke at two-loss SMU, No. 15 UCLA at two-loss Nebraska, and No. 12 Oklahoma at No. 5 Alabama.
But I’d argue none of those games on this day had more urgency and big-picture importance than the Tar Heels’ test at Notre Dame and the Wildcats’ tilt at No. 16 Cincinnati. With UNC entering the day at 8-6, and Arizona at 7-5, both faced sticky road tests, the kinds of opportunity on the schedule that can give renewed life in conference season … or reinforce disenchantment and set a gloomy tone for a long league slate…
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