MILWAUKEE β When North Carolina played San Diego State in the First Four in Dayton, an NCAA-provided plane stood by to take the winner to Milwaukee.
The pilot might as well have turned on the jet engines early in the first half.
The Tar Heels dominated the Aztecs with a 27-point win to advance to the Round of 64, where they’ll play Ole Miss on Friday in Wisconsin.
After two days as the most hated team in America due to their selection to the field deemed by some experts, and politicians, worthy of fraud, North Carolina still has a huge chip on its shoulder.
“We don’t have any leeway to get comfortable,” Jae’Lyn Withers said. “We already have some people that believe we shouldn’t be here, so we have to play as if we weren’t supposed to be here.”
The Tar Heels do belong, and they have a real chance to make the Sweet 16 if they beat the Rebels, then presumably Iowa State.Β
“I think we have more left in the tank and more left to prove,: guard RJ Davis said. “Not to anyone who doubted us, but more to ourselves. Everyone in this locker room knows we’re capable and deserving of being in this tournament.”
UNC and Ole Miss tip off at 4:05 ET on Friday.Β
It’s the first meeting between the programs since 1926, a 38-23 win for the Tar Heels.
Contact Nick Carboni atΒ ncarboni@wcnc.comΒ and follow him onΒ Facebook,Β XΒ andΒ Instagram.
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