Since the NCAA Tournament bracket was announced, the North Carolina Tar Heels have caught tons of backlash, as many believed they should’ve been left out of the 68 teams who made “The Dance.”
Perhaps those haters have been silenced now.
The Tar Heels demolished the San Diego State Aztecs in their “First Four” matchup on Tuesday night, 95-68, to earn the No. 11 seed in the South Region. UNC will move on to face No. 6 Ole miss in the first round on Friday.
San Diego State Aztecs guard Wayne McKinney III (3) plays the ball defended by North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) in the first half at UD Arena. (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)
UNC was the last team to get awarded a spot in the tournament, and they still had to play for their seed in Dayton, Ohio against one of the premier defenses in college basketball. Head coach Brian Dutcher’s Aztecs can be smothering on that end of the floor, but the Tar Heels didn’t make it seem that way on Tuesday night.
They erupted in the first half, shooting 60.9% as a team (14-23) and made all but two of their nine three-pointers in the process. They also went 12-of-12 from the charity stripe to come away with 47 points, which were capped by RJ Davis’ three-pointer as the buzzer sounded for halftime.
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Meanwhile, the Aztecs were struggling on the offensive end to go along with their defensive shortcomings, shooting just 26.7% in the first half, and going just 4-of-16 from beyond the arc. They finished the half with 23 points, and the 24-point deficit was one they couldn’t come back from.
The second half went UNC’s way as well, outscoring the Aztecs, 48-45, to coast to victory.
North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jae’Lyn Withers (24) controls a rebound in front of San Diego State Aztecs forward Pharaoh Compton (5) in the first half at UD Arena. (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)
As a team, the Tar Heels shot an amazing 52.6% from the field and 58.3% from three (14-24), while cashing in at the free throw line with 21-of-24 made.
It was Davis being the game’s top scorer with 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including a perfect 6-for-6 from three-point land. He also had two assists.
Jae’Lyn Withers also notched a double-double for UNC, totaling 10 rebounds and 10 points, while Seth Trimble contributed 16 points off the bench on 5-of-10 shooting. Ven-Allen Lubin also had 12 most, eight of which came from the free throw line.
North Carolina Tar Heels guard Elliot Cadeau (3) reacts in the first half against the San Diego State Aztecs at UD Arena. (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)
As for the Aztecs, they finished shooting 39.7% from the field, which won’t get it done in March.
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