UNC men’s basketball may have had a down season, but most of the Tar Heel winter sports teams have done quite well. The Heels have maintained their lead in the Learfield Director’s Cup standings at the conclusion of the winter sports season.
The Director’s Cup is awarded to the school who has the most overall combined success across all sports. The further a team advances in their postseason tournament, the more points they are awarded. All sports are weighted the same; a national championship in lacrosse
is worth the same a winning a football national championship.
UNC currently is atop the leaderboard with 781.50 points; they are ahead of second place Stanford by 35.25 points. They’ve actually increased their lead from the conclusion of the fall athletics season. The ACC overall is well represented in the standings, with Virginia (3rd), Notre Dame (7th), and Duke (8th) joining the Heels and the Cardinal in the top-10.
UNC solidified their position at the top through strong seasons by the women’s basketball team, the men’s swimming and diving squad, and both men’s and women’s fencing. The women’s basketball team made it to the Sweet 16, while the men’s swimming and diving team finished 19th in the country. UNC fencing is where the Heels really racked up points though. The men’s fencing team finished seventh in the country and earned 69 points in the standings, while the women’s team’s 15th place finish netted Carolina an addition 45. Youssef Shamel won a national championship in men’s epee, UNC’s first fencing national championship in over four decades.
UNC finished fourth in the Director’s Cup standings last year, it’s best finish in 16 years. Looking ahead to the spring sports season, it would seem the Heels have the potential to match or surpass that. The Diamond Heels are currently ranked sixth in the country and have the potential to make a deep NCAA tournament run. The men’s lacrosse team is currently the number one ranked team in the nation. The softball team also is projected to make the NCAA tournament.
