The North Carolina Tar Heels squeaked into the NCAA Tournament, grabbing an 11-seed and a spot in the play-in game against San Diego State.

• Duke, the winners of the ACC Tournament, received a No. 1 seed in the East Region.

Why it matters: North Carolina barely made the cut, earning the last at-large bid into the tournament after an arguably weak showing against elite teams this season.

• Duke's No. 1 seed will mean they get to play in Raleigh on Friday against the winner of American versus Mount St. Mary's.

Here's which North Carolina schools will be competing in the NCAA Tournament:

Men's tournament

😈 Duke: Duke earned the No. 1 seed in the East Region and will take on the winner of American versus Mount St. Mary's in the No. 16 play-in game.

🐏 UNC: The No. 11 Tar Heels will play No. 11 San Diego State in Dayton on Tuesday. The winner of that game will go on to play No. 6 Ole Miss in Milwaukee on Friday in the South Region.

🌊 UNC-Wilmington: The Seahawks got the No. 14 seed in the West Region and will play No. 3 Texas Tech in Wichita, Kansas, on Thursday.

🟣 High Point: High Point got the No. 13 seed in the Midwest Region and will play No. 4 Purdue in Rhode Island on Thursday.

Women's tournament

North Carolina schools were also well represented in the women's NCAA Tournament, and the Triangle's three ACC schools will get to host their opening games.

🐺 N.C. State: The Wolfpack got the No. 2 seed in Region 1 and will host No. 15 Vermont in Raleigh on Saturday.

😈 Duke: The Blue Devils received the No. 2 seed in Region 2 and will welcome No. 15 Lehigh to Durham on Friday.

🐏 UNC: The Tar Heels will be the No. 3 in Region 2 and play No. 14 Oregon State in Chapel Hill.

🟡 UNC-Greensboro: The No. 16 Spartans will travel to Los Angeles to play No. 1 Southern California in Region 4.

🟣 High Point: The No. 16 Panthers will pay No. 16 William & Mary in the play-in game for Region 3 for a chance to take on No. 1 Texas.

Knowledge is power, and we believe in empowering our community through reliable, local journalism.

Join our membership program for just $50+ a year, and you can support our efforts to keep you in the know of what's happening around town.

• You'll get insider notes and other perks as a thanks.

Together, we can ensure our neighbors stay informed.

It's time for Axios Raleigh's annual bracket challenge!

How it works: Sign up for our Axios Raleigh group on ESPN and enter a bracket for the men's or women's side, or both! Once the tournament wraps up, we'll see who had the most accurate predictions and select a winner from each group.

• Entries must be completed by Thursday, March 21, at noon.

Here are the links to this year's challenge:

• Axios Raleigh's Men's NCAA Tournament challenge
• Axios Raleigh's Women's NCAA Tournament challenge

Why it matters: You'll earn bragging rights across the Triangle, home to some of the smartest college basketball fans in the world.

🔍 The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into 45 universities, including Duke, for alleged "race-exclusionary practices" in graduate schools. (Axios)

A man stabbed four people during a fight at Raleigh's Bowstring Pizza and Brewyard Saturday night. (ABC11)

⚖️ The family of Tyrone Mason, who died in an October single car crash in Raleigh, plans to file a civil lawsuit. (WRAL)

• Two state troopers were placed on administrative leave and District Attorney Lorrin Freeman dismissed close to 200 cases after she became aware of questions surrounding their involvement in Mason's wreck.

More Gen Zers are looking to break into the home market, new data shows.

Why it matters: High housing costs and a supply crunch have made it harder, especially for younger people, to become homeowners.

The big picture: Gen Z represented 13% of U.S. home mortgage applications in 2024, up from 10% in 2023, according to an analysis by CoreLogic, an industry data provider.

• Relatively affordable parts of the Midwest and South saw the highest Gen Z shares, while pricey coastal metros lagged behind.
• In Raleigh, just over 9% of homebuyers are Gen Z, per CoreLogic. In Greensboro, meanwhile, that number is around 13%.

Between the lines: Gen Zers, those roughly ages 12–28 today, are expected to make up a bigger piece of the homebuying pie as they get older.

• CoreLogic researchers analyzed 2024 mortgage applications, accepted or not, and they excluded investors, second-home buyers and cash buyers.

Reality check: Many who take the plunge get help from Mom and Dad.

• Younger generations are increasingly banking on family money for down payments, Redfin research shows.
• And house hunters commonly ask loved ones for cash instead of traditional wedding or baby gifts.

What to watch: Some aspiring homeowners are getting creative — splitting a mortgage with friends or buying rental properties in cheaper cities.

Pin Point Pickleball and Golf, which claims the title of the largest facility of its kind in the country, opened its doors in a downtown Raleigh warehouse last fall.

What to expect: The 72,000 square-foot space has 16 pickleball courts, plus 3,600 square feet of short game area with putting areas and eight golf simulators so you can work on your swing.

• They also have two bars, plenty of seating and private events spaces.

If you go: Drop-in pickleball and golf rates range from $15-$50. Golf membership rates range from $99-$229.

• A yoga membership costs $40.

Location: 2201 S. Wilmington St., Suite 145.

Hours: Open Monday through Saturday 7am-10pm and Sunday 7am-8pm.