CHARLOTTE - North Carolina coach Roy Williams has said for weeks that it didn't matter where his team played in the NCAA Tournament, but how it was playing when it got there.

Perhaps this is why.

The Tar Heels -- the No. 1 seed in the East Regional, and the top seed overall thanks to Sunday's victory in the ACC Tournament title game -- will play in-state until the Final Four. (Their two opening-round games will be at the RBC Center in Raleigh, beginning Friday at 7:10 p.m., and the next two, if they advance, will be at Bobcats Arena, where they just won their second straight league title. Raleigh tickets are sold out.)

But with Indiana and Arkansas as possible second-round foes, plus third-seeded Louisville and second-seeded Tennessee duking it out on the other side of the regional bracket, reaching the national semifinals in San Antonio will be a challenge for UNC, even with a home-crowd advantage.

"Every coach feels they have an extremely difficult path to reach their dreams of winning the championship, and we are certainly no exception,'' Williams said in a prepared statement. "We have a very challenging road ahead of us."

Here's a rundown:

RALEIGH SUB-REGIONAL: As the top No. 1, UNC gets to play the winner of Tuesday's play-in game between Northeast Conference champion Mount St. Mary's and MEAC title holder Coppin State. The Tar Heels shouldn't have a huge problem -- remember, no No. 16 seed has ever upset a No. 1 -- but Coppin State (the first team to reach the NCAA Tournament with 20 losses) just won its league tournament at the RBC Center, and if they can pull another upset Tuesday would feel pretty comfy in Raleigh, too.

Either No. 9 seed Arkansas or eighth-seeded Indiana could also give Carolina problems. The Razorbacks secured their NCAA bid by knocking Tennessee -- which was ranked No. 1 by the AP for a period this year -- out of the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament, so they've proven to be giant-killers. They also like to play at a fast pace, although whether they could keep up with the Tar Heels would remain to be seen.

The Hoosiers, meanwhile, looked like they'd be a much higher seed earlier in the season, what with the star power of guard Eric Gordon and forward/center D.J. White. But then coach Kelvin Sampson was fired after his staff made excessive phone calls to recruits. Indiana has lost three of its last four.

CHARLOTTE REGIONAL: UNC's perimeter defense could be tested by fourth-seeded Washington State guards Taylor Rochestie, Kyle Weaver and Derrick Lowe. There's also the possibility of a re-match with George Mason, which might be coveted by the Tar Heels consideing GMU beat Carolina in the round of 32 two seasons ago en route to the Final Four.

Third-seeded Louisville, which the Tar Heels could meet in the regional final, could be one of the tougher matchups of the bunch. Not only would veteran coaches Rick Pitino and Williams be duking it out on the sidelines, but 6-foot-11 center David Padgett (a former Kansas transfer) could make an interesting foe for ACC Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough.

And then there's No. 2 seed Tennessee, which was in the running for a top seed until it was knocked out of its conference tournament by Arkansas. It will have to beat Louisville to get to the Tar Heels, but if it does, it has the athleticism to be a Final Four team.

Whoever the Tar Heels face through the first four rounds, players said playing so close to home could be an advantage " because the fans don't have to go very far," Williams said earlier this month. "But it just means if you play poorly, you have more people who know you complaining."

And if he does get to leave the state, could face yet another challenge: His former Kansas team is the top seed in he Midwest Regional, meaning they could face off in the Final Four.

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