"The NCAA Tournament is always exciting and we have a huge challenge ahead of us. We don't look at the bracket as a whole. We are focused on the next game and the next opponent. It's a great time for college basketball fans. Our players were excited about the draw and looking forward to the start of the NCAA Tournament.

"I am extremely happy for our seniors to make it to the NCAA Tournament two years in a row after enduring a difficult first two years. I am proud of them."

NCAA Notes by UNC Athletic Comm.

* Carolina, the No. 1 seed in the Syracuse Regional of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, has now been a No. 1 seed 10 times since the NCAA began seeding teams for the Tournament in 1979. The Tar Heels' most recent No. 1 seed came in 1997-98 and the Tar Heels advanced to the Final Four in San Antonio by beating No. 2 seed Connecticut in the East Regional final.

* Carolina advanced to the 1997 Final Four by beating Louisville in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. The win over Louisville was the 879th and final win in Dean Smith's career.

* This is the sixth time in 17 years as a head coach that Roy Williams has taken a team to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed. He did it at Kansas in 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2002.

* Roy Williams is 15-0 as a head coach in NCAA Tournament first round games (first 14 at Kansas, 2004 at Carolina).

* Roy Williams has taken teams to the NCAA Tournament in 16 consecutive years, the third-longest streak in NCAA history. Dean Smith (23 straight years) and Lute Olson (21) are the only coaches with longer streaks in history.

* The Tar Heels have reached the Final Four five times as a No. 1 seed. UNC has been a No. 1 seed in 1979, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998 and 2005, advancing to the Final Four in '82, '91, '97 and '98 and winning the NCAA championship in 1993.

* Carolina has appeared in 118 NCAA Tournament games entering the 2005 Tournament. Only Kentucky (133) has played in more NCAA Tournament games entering the 2005 Tournament.

* The Tar Heels are 82-36 in NCAA Tournament games. Kentucky is first all-time in NCAA wins with 93, Carolina is second with 82, Duke is third with 81, UCLA is fourth with 80 and Kansas is fifth with 73.

* Carolina has advanced to the Regional Semifinal (Sweet 16) 17 times in its last 22 NCAA Tournament appearances. The years UNC made the NCAA field but did not reach the Sweet 16 were in 1994 (lost to Boston College in the second round), 1996 (lost to Texas Tech in the second round), 1999 (lost to Weber State in the first round), 2001 (lost to Penn State in the second round) and 2004 (lost to Texas in the second round).

* The Tar Heels have won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament in 21 of their last 22 Tournament appearances (Carolina lost in the first round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament to Weber State).

* UNC has reached an NCAA-record 15 Final Fours, including at least one in each of the last seven decades.