WASHINGTON, D.C. – UNC basketball is playing for more than an ACC Tournament championship on Saturday night at Capital One Arena.

Following the fourth-ranked Tar Heels’ 72-65 victory against Pitt on Friday in the semifinals, Armando Bacot discussed the possibility of UNC snagging a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

With Tennessee and Arizona losing in their conference tournaments, the Tar Heels (27-6) have a good chance of joining UConn, Houston and Purdue as the top four seeds in March Madness.

Bacot, who had 19 points and 11 rebounds against the Panthers, and RJ Davis – who had 25 points Friday – have been paying attention.

“Me and RJ, we’re roommates, so we were sleeping (at the hotel),” Bacot said.

“We woke up, the TV was on, and we saw Tennessee was losing by 20. We was like, ‘Damn, that’s pretty crazy.’ … It just motivated us even more to go out there and get these wins. Me and RJ, we pay attention to everything. … We knew how important it was to go out there and get this win, and get the next win, too.”

UNC TO PLAY FOR ACC CROWN: RJ Davis, Armando Bacot help UNC basketball beat Pitt, clinch spot in ACC Tournament final

TRIMBLE'S ROLE: UNC basketball's Seth Trimble dunks, returns to form for Tar Heels at ACC Tournament

As of Friday night, according to BracketMatrix.com, UNC is projected to be the fourth No. 1 seed. Bracket Matrick’s formula considers the preeminent bracketology projections from across the web and averages them out to create a composite 68-team field.

UNC, which has secured a No. 1 seed a record 17 times, could get No. 18 on Selection Sunday.

Following the Tar Heels’ win against Florida State on Thursday, UNC coach Hubert Davis was asked about that scenario if his team finishes the job in the nation's capital and wins the ACC Tournament.

“That's something we don't think about, and that's something that we don't talk about,” Davis said.

“One of the things that we do talk about is focusing on what is real. … All year we have focused on the preparation and the process. If we continue to do that, the results will take care of itself. That's been our focus all season and will continue the rest of the season.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Will UNC basketball get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament?