North Carolina lit up the scoreboard and broke tournament records by draining 14 three-pointers in their 95-68 blowout win against San Diego State on Tuesday. The game got out of hand early, with the Tar Heels building a massive 47-23 lead heading into the break.
RJ Davis put on a show, pouring in 26 points while nailing all six of his shots from deep - matching a UNC tournament record. The team was red-hot in the first half, shooting an impressive 60.9% from the floor.
With the win pushing their record to 23-13, UNC moves on to face 6th-seeded Ole Miss on Thursday. The Aztecs hadn't allowed this many points in a regular-time game since 2006.
Critics had taken shots at the selection committee for including Carolina as one of the final at-large teams. Their poor 1-12 record against top competition this season led to lots of arguments about whether they belonged in the tournament.
Even though San Diego State came in with the country's best field goal defense, they couldn't do anything to stop UNC's offensive attack. This dominant win shut up the critics who questioned their spot in the tournament.
The committee defended their choice, highlighting their tough non-conference schedule and advanced stats that supported their decision. As the Tar Heels proved with their stellar performance, that confidence was justified on college basketball's biggest stage.
