Written by MICHAEL KOH
North Carolina will once again be punching above its weight this March.
The Queens University Royals pulled off a big upset in the ASUN Championship during the weekend, beating top seed Central Arkansas in overtime to clinch a trip to the NCAA Tournament. It’ll be the first ever dance for Queens, which only made the move to Division 1 four years ago.
Many were surprised to learn that Queens University is not actually located in Queens, New York, but rather in the “Queen City”: Charlotte, North Carolina. The small, private university with fewer than 2,000 total students is one of 19 NCAA Division 1 programs in North Carolina. And thanks to the Royals’ ASUN crown, 18 of those 19 teams will have experienced the NCAA Tournament at least once.
Only three states have more schools than North Carolina which play Division 1 men’s basketball: California, Texas and New York. North Carolina also ranks second in total NCAA championships with 13, and it and California are the only states with at least three different national championship schools. And when you consider that California’s population is nearly triple North Carolina’s, it’s no surprise this area has earned the moniker “the Hoop State.”
It feels safe to say North Carolina will send at least five teams to this year’s NCAA Tournament: Duke and UNC are locks, and NC State, despite the Pack’s best efforts recently, seems in good shape for an at-large berth. We already mentioned Queens winning the ASUN, and then there’s High Point, which dominated the Big South this year and is making its second straight tournament appearance. Watch out for the 30-4 Panthers as a trendy upset pick.
You might be wondering who the lone North Carolina school to not reach the tournament is. That would be the Elon Phoenix, currently of the Coastal Athletic Association. Elon moved to Division 1 in 1999 and hasn’t ever gotten particularly close to the Big Dance. But here’s the tricky part: Elon and Queens recently announced a merger of the two schools which is set to be complete this summer. While initial reporting indicates the athletic programs will remain separate, it’s unclear what exactly that will look like.
All that is to say that nearly every North Carolina school, big or small, has had its day in the sun. Charlotte, believe it or not, made the Final Four in 1977 and was oh so close to meeting Phil Ford and UNC in the championship, losing by two points to eventual champions Marquette. Western Carolina very nearly pulled off the first ever 1-16 upset in 1996, falling 73-71 to Purdue in the first round after missing two shots in the final seconds. UNC-Asheville also gave a No. 1 seed a scare, testing Syracuse in 2012 before losing by seven.
Around this time of year, the Old North State always stands tall. Here’s to the land of the long leaf pine.
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Featured image via Queens University Athletics/Todd Drexler
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