ACC Tournament 2012: North Carolina Deserve No. 1 Seed

After North Carolina's 69-67 victory today over North Carolina State in the semifinals of the ACC Conference tournament, the Tar Heels have cemented themselves as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina's body of work throughout the season is truly impressive. Their 29-4 overall record and 14-2 record in conference play certainly attests to that notion.

In addition, the Tar Heels have notched victories over an impressive list of adversaries, including Duke, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Florida State and Long Beach State.

In terms of the big wins, it shows a couple things.

First, it shows that UNC can beat quality opponents. Also, by beating both Michigan State and Duke, it shows the versatility of the squad.

They're not only able to adapt to playing against a more methodical, slow-paced team (Michigan State), but they're also able to prosper against an offensive-based team that likes to get up and down (Duke).

When looking at the rest of the prospective field, you'd be hard-pressed not to include North Carolina as one of the top four seeds.

Kentucky and Syracuse are virtual locks for No. 1 seeds. There's no disputing that.

However, the final two No. 1 seeds are still up for grabs.

Both Kansas and Missouri are vying for a slot as a top seed. Kansas bowed out in the Big 12 Conference tournament semifinals to Baylor, while Missouri advanced to the finals of the tournament

If Missouri does in fact win the Big 12 Conference tournament, it'd be fascinating to see where both conference foes finish.

Regardless of what happens with Missouri and Kansas, North Carolina has a more impressive resume.

The Tar Heels played the sixth toughest strength of schedule while having an RPI ranking of three—higher than both Missouri and Kansas.

Missouri's strength of schedule is 109th, while Kansas' is ninth.

In addition, North Carolina has a chance to enhance their resume even more—by winning the ACC tournament and quite possibly beating a Top 10 team in the process (assuming Duke gets by Florida State in the semifinals).

The combination of the SOS, RPI ranking and overall body of work fully entitles North Carolina to assume a No. 1 seed.