One analyst believes UNC basketball has over 80 percent chance for NCAA Tournament

The North Carolina Tar Heels are still in NCAA Tournament limbo, but Thursday's 68-59 win over Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals significantly helped their cause.

There's just one team standing between UNC (22-12, 13-7 ACC) and an all-but-guaranteed trip to the Big Dance: hated rival Duke, which came back to beat Georgia Tech on Thursday, 78-70.

North Carolina could be facing a top-seeded Blue Devils (29-3, 19-1) squad without Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown, as both exited Thursday with injuries and didn't return. Flagg's X-rays are negative, while Brown is done for the year.

Heading into the game, regardless of which players the Tar Heels face, they have a good chance to make the NCAA Tournament.

According to Bart Torvik's TourneyCast, UNC has an 84.6 percent chance to advance to the Big Dance. Keep in mind, this is simply a projection, but North Carolina's strong start to the ACC Tournament increased its NCAA Tournament odds greatly.

The fifth-seeded Tar Heels nearly put a scare into their own fans on Thursday, blowing a 10-point second half lead against fourth-seeded Wake, but their defense locked in late and Ven-Allen Lubin took over. RJ Davis scored 23 points to anchor UNC's scoring attack, while Jae'Lyn Withers continued his hot stretch from deep with two 3-pointers.

Friday is North Carolina's best opportunity to beat Duke. Not only are the Blue Devils without their best defender and possibly best player, but the Tar Heels are on a roll. UNC needs to win Friday's semifinal matchup to guarantee a spot in the Big Dance, while Duke is simply trying for another ACC Title – nothing more.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Bart Torvik gives UNC 84.6 percent chance to make NCAA Tournament

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One analyst believes UNC basketball has over 80 percent chance for NCAA Tournament

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