Five teams from the Carolinas selected to compete in 2023 NCAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The newly-crowned ACC champion Duke Blue Devils headline five teams from the Carolinas chosen to compete for a men’s college basketball title in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

Along with Duke, NC State, UNC Asheville, Furman and College of Charleston were awarded bids on Sunday evening.

Notably, North Carolina, who entered the season as the top-ranked team in the country, missed the cut.

In the process, the Tar Heels, last year’s national runner-up, became the first team ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll to miss the tournament since the field expanded to include 64 teams.

Four of the Carolinas’ teams will tip off their tournament action on Thursday.

The East Region’s No. 5 Duke will take on No. 12 Oral Roberts on Thursday in Orlando. In the same city, No. 12 College of Charleston will face off with No. 5 San Diego State in South Region action.

No. 13 Furman will also play Thursday at the same site in Orlando against No. 4 Virginia, while No. 15 UNC Asheville will play No. 2 UCLA on Thursday in Sacramento.

No. 11 NC State will play No. 6 Creighton on Friday in Denver in a South Region matchup.

Furman, College of Charleston and UNC Asheville were each given automatic bids after winning their conference championships.

NC State had been squarely on the tournament bubble, while Duke was firmly in the 68-team field.

In addition to the Carolinas fielding five teams, Greensboro will also serve as a host site during the first two rounds.

The winners of each of the four regions will meet in Houston in April as the Final Four gets underway.

A full version of this year’s bracket can be viewed here. It will be updated following the conclusion of each game.

Related: Roach helps No. 21 Duke beat No. 13 Virginia for ACC title

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