Since the NCAA Tournament Bracket was announced, the North Carolina Tar Heels have caught a lot of backlash as many believed that the 68 teams that made “dance.”
Perhaps those hatreds are now silent.
The Tar Heels defeated San Diego State's Aztecs in the “first four” matchups Tuesday night, 95-68, earning the No. 11 seed in the South Region. UNC faces No. 6 Ole Miss in the first round on Friday.
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San Diego State Aztec guard Wayne McKinney III (3) will play the ball defended in the first half at UD Arena by North Carolina Heels Guard RJ Davis (4). (Image of Rick Osentoski-Immagn)
UNC was the last team to be awarded a tournament spot and they still had to play against one of the best defenses in college basketball for the seed in Dayton, Ohio. Head coach Brian Dutcher's Aztecs can choke the edge of the floor, but the Tar Heels didn't look like that on Tuesday night.
They erupted in the first half, shooting 60.9% as a team (14-23), making all but two of the nine three pointers in the process. They also went 12-12 from the charity stripe, scoring 47 points. This was capped by RJ Davis' three-pointer as the buzzer rang at halftime.
North Carolina's NCAA Tournament bid will lead to social media backlash. “How did this happen?”
Meanwhile, the Aztecs struggled with an offensive end, struggling along defensive shortcomings, shooting just 26.7% in the first half and only 1/16 over the arc. They finished the half with 23 points and the 24-point deficit was something they didn't get back.
In the second half, they continued their path to UNC, surpassing the Aztecs' 48-45 to win.
North Carolina's Tar Heels forward Jerryn Wizards (24) controls the rebound in front of San Diego's Aztecs forward Pharaoh Compton (5) in the first half at UD Arena. (Image of Rick Osentoski-Immagn)
As a team, the Tar Heels scored 52.6% from the field and 58.3% from the three (14-24) and cashed at the 21-24 free throw line.
Davis was the top scorer in the game, with 26 points in a 26-point shooting, including a perfect 6-for-6 from 3-point land. He also had two assists.
Jellin Withers also notched UNC double doubles, 10 rebounds and 10 points total, while Seth Trimble donated 16 points from the bench with five-tenths of fire. There are almost 12 Ven-Allen Lubins, eight of which came from the free throw line.
North Carolina's Tar Heels guard Elliot Caddo (3) will respond to UD Arena's Aztecs in San Diego in the first half. (Image of Rick Osentoski-Immagn)
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As for the Aztecs, they finished filming 39.7% off the field, but they couldn't achieve it in March.
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