- North Carolina’s entrance into the NCAA Tournament field of 68 made some question the selection process.
- The governor of West Virginia accused the NCAA of “robbery” after the Tar Heels made it in over the Mountaineers.
- The Tar Heels responded on the field in their First Four game, pounding San Diego State 95-68, and will go on to play Ole Miss in the round of 64.
It has been a difficult season for North Carolina, who were on the cusp of missing the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
The Tar Heels’ inclusion after Selection Sunday caused some controversy, including among politicians. But North Carolina did what they had to do on the court on Tuesday. The Tar Heels smacked San Diego State in the First Four round, and will now head to the round of 64.
Davis Hits Six 3s, Pours in Game-High 26 Points
The Tar Heels jumped on the Aztecs early, and were up 47-23 by halftime. North Carolina pushed the lead to 30 in the second half, and wound up with a 95-68 rout in Dayton, Ohio.
Senior guard R.J. Davis was the story as he put up 26 points, and went 6-for-6 from three-point land. His three-point shooting beat the record set by his coach, Hubert Davis, who went 5-for-5 in a Tournament game against Eastern Michigan in 1991. Elliot Cadeau had 12 assists for the Tar Heels, who were lights out offensively, but they also shut down San Diego State on defense. The Aztecs shot 39.7% from the field, including 29.6% from three, and the Tar Heels also had a 39-28 edge on the glass.
North Carolina’s selection into the March Madness field caused some controversy. West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey went so far as to call for an investigation into the NCAA selection committee after the Tar Heels were chosen over the Mountaineers.
It should be noted that North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham is the chairman of the selection committee. However, he was apparently not involved in any conversations about the Tar Heels. Some are even calling for Cunningham to be removed from his position.
Can North Carolina Win the NCAA Tournament?
You don’t have to worry about North Carolina’s 2025 March Madness odds, as the Tar Heels will go into the Tournament as a #11 seed. They’ll play Ole Miss in the round of 64 on Friday, and the Tar Heels are actually favored to beat the Rebels.
North Carolina would do extremely well to get out of the first weekend of the Tournament, or even the first round. The Tar Heels have no size as only two of their top six players in minutes played are 6’6” or taller. That leads to teams being able to get to the hoop easily against them, and North Carolina is 239th in the nation in points allowed.
They’ll need Davis to pull on his Superman cape and lead the Tar Heels through the NCAA Tournament, although AI bracket predictions probably won’t back them much. Plenty of teams can also score as much as North Carolina in a shootout, so there just aren’t many avenues for the Tar Heels to make a deep run. But it is March Madness, and if Davis gets really hot, anything can happen.
