North Carolina’s RJ Davis scored 26 points to secure a 95-68 win over San Diego State in the NCAA First Four.
DAYTON, Ohio β Senior RJ Davis scored 26 points as the North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the San Diego State Aztecs in a First Four matchup to advance to the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
The Tar Heels rolled over the Aztecs 95-68 on Tuesday. North Carolina led 47-23 at halftime and controlled most of the game.
North Carolina will face six-seed Ole Miss on March 21 at 4:05 p.m. ET.Β
Davis led the Tar Heels with 26 points. The senior hit all six 3-point attempts in the win. Senior Jae’Lyn Withers scored a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Elliot Cadeau led the team with 12 assists.
North Carolina scored on an impressive 52.6% of their shots, including 58.3% from beyond the arc.
The Aztecs were led by seniors Nick Boyd and Wayne McKinney III with 12 points. San Diego State was not as productive at shooting, hitting just 39.7% and 29.6% on 3-pointers.
North Carolina looked all but out of the tournament on selection day. The team was a victim of a 1-12 record against so-called Quad 1 opponents and part of a conference (ACC) teetering on the verge of a historically bad season. But the Tar Heels were the last team in, thanks maybe to a strong nonconference slate.Β
The Carolina inclusion was certain to fuel some conspiracy theories. The chair of the selection committee was Tar Heels athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who said rules state he cannot be part of any debate about his own team.
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