With the heart of the college basketball season underway, analysts are beginning to grade teams’ NCAA Tournament résumés as March Madness draws closer. These early evaluations focus on what each contender has done so far and whether their body of work stacks up for a strong tournament seed.
At the forefront of discussion are perennial programs like North Carolina, Indiana, and Alabama, whose resumes feature a blend of promising wins and concerning losses. Factors such as quality victories against Quadrant 1 opponents, tough road contests, and overall strength of schedule are weighed to determine how each team might fare when Selection Sunday arrives.
For the Tar Heels, the narrative is a tricky one: recent setbacks have caused a tumble in the AP Top 25 rankings, with back‑to‑back losses knocking them well down the list. This slide complicates UNC’s positioning as a marquee NCAA bid, underscoring how quickly fortunes can shift in a deep ACC schedule.
Elsewhere, bracketologists note that the broader March Madness picture is dynamic. Weekend upsets and shifting conference power balances have altered projected fields, introducing new contenders and reshaping which teams look poised for top seeds.
Although it remains early, resume grading provides fans and analysts alike a snapshot of who has built a résumé strong enough to withstand the rigors of March — and who still has work to do as the regular season barrels toward conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament committee scrutiny.