Scott Forbes addresses UNC being snubbed of top four seed in NCAA Tournament

There was never a doubt that the North Carolina Tar Heels were going to be in the NCAA Tournament after winning the ACC Tournament. The only question was where UNC was going to be seeded with head coach Scott Forbes hoping to land a top-four seed.

Ultimately, North Carolina ended up fifth. The top-four seeds went to four SEC schools, including Auburn in the fourth slot ahead of the Tar Heels. That snub was something that Forbes recently addressed, looking on the bright side of his team’s situation.

“I’ll let you guys write about that,” Scott Forbes said. “I think it’s perfect for this team, to be honest with you. This team has reminded me of the ’18 team. That team had the no meat, not enough meat — whatever, shirts made.”

In 2018, Forbes was an assistant coach on the North Carolina staff. That Mike Fox led team ended up going to the College World Series. Like this season, they also weren’t a top four seed, coming in sixth when the selection committee had its say.

More importantly for Scott Forbes, North Carolina is still a top eight-seeded team. That means that, assuming they win the Chapel Hill Regional, they’ll go on to host the Chapel Hill Super Regional. There’s not going to be a need to travel on the road for any games until Omaha and the College World Series. If they were to get there, it would be the second season in a row the Tar Heels go to Omaha.

“This team, we use that the right way,” Forbes said. “But at the end of the day, we’re a national seed and we know we’re gonna play home, as long as we win. That’s what we’re most excited about. The goal still, it doesn’t matter what your national seed is, is to be the number one overall team when it all ends.”

North Carolina finished the regular season with a 42-12 record overall and an 18-11 ACC record. That includes winning the ACC Tournament. Auburn, meanwhile, finished at 38-18 overall with a 17-13 SEC record. They lost their first conference tournament game. By the RPI rankings, Auburn is third in the country while North Carolina finished sixth. Ultimately, they’re two very close teams based on resumes alone.

North Carolina opens the NCAA Tournament with Holy Cross on Friday. Depending on the results, they’ll then play either Nebraska or Oklahoma. Win the Chapel Hill Regional, and the Tar Heels will host the Chapel Hill Super Regional against the winner of the Eugene Regional.