Duke, NC State, UNC Asheville earn men’s NCAA Tournament spots

None of the teams will play in Greensboro

Duke center Dereck Lively II (1) reacts in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Durham, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

The brackets are set, and North Carolina’s three entries in the men’s NCAA Tournament know where they’re headed and who they will face.

Duke, coming off its win in the ACC Tournament with first-year coach Jon Scheyer, received a No. 5 seed in the East Region and will play 12th-seeded Oral Roberts (30-4) in Orlando. The Blue Devils (26-8), if they advance, would face the winner of No. 4 Tennessee and No. 13 Louisiana.

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NC State is returning to the tournament for the first time since 2018 after receiving a No. 11 seed in the South Region. The Wolfpack will play sixth-seeded Creighton (21-12) in Denver. NC State (23-10) would face either third-seeded Baylor or No. 14 UC Santa Barbara if it advances past the Bluejays.

UNC Asheville, winner of the Big South Conference Tournament, is headed to Sacramento as a No. 15 seed to face second-seeded UCLA (29-5) in the West Region. An upset of the Bruins would see the Bulldogs (27-7) match up with either No. 7 Northwestern or No. 10 Boise State for a spot in the Sweet 16.