BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ & ADAM ZAGORIA
North Carolina was the talk of the NCAA Tournament after being given what many felt was an undeserved bid to the Big Dance.
But the No. 11 Tar Heels took full advantage of the situation, demolishing San Diego, 95-68, behind RJ Davis’s 26 points to advance into the main draw where they will face No. 6 Ole Miss on Thursday in Milwaukee in the South Region.
“We hear the noise but we don’t really pay attention to it,” RJ Davis said postgame. “We stay within ourselves and I think coach [Hubert] Davis, he sets a good example for us in order to play at this level. He always uses this reference, ‘Horses have blinders when they go into races and that’s to avoid any distraction that doesn’t allow them to be their best in the race,’ so I think that reference sits well with the team. We are just focused on what we have to do, not really paying too much attention to what’s being said about us and whatnot; just our preparation leading up to games.”
Jae’Lyn Withers added 10 points and 10 rebounds, Elliot Cadeau scored 9 points with 12 assists and Seth Trimble poured in 16 points.
“It’s a blessing and an honor,” Hubert Davis told Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports when asked what it’s like to coach Davis, the former Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) star who shot a perfect 6-of-6 from deep. “For four years, I’ve been his head coach. I’m still trying to call the NCAA, see if I can get him back for a sixth year. The confidence level I have as a coach, being around RJ for the last five years, absolutely amazing.”
RJ DAVIS CANNOT MISS FROM DEEP (literally)
6/6 from beyond the arc
#MarchMadness @UNC_Basketball pic.twitter.com/41RdJk6kQP
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2025
North Carolina hopes it can follow in the footsteps of VCU (2011) and UCLA (2021), two teams that marched all the way to the Final Four from the First Four.
The Tar Heels victory came against a backdrop of controversy. North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham is also the Chair of the Selection Committee but said Sunday night he was “not in the room” when they discussed his school.
The Tar Heels got in but West Virginia and Indiana were the first two teams out. Ironically, on Tuesday, Indiana hired West Virginia coach Darian DeVries.
Meantime, the state’s Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday that the state would launch an investigation into the NCAA and the selection committee over how the teams were picked.
“This is a miscarriage of justice and robbery at the highest level,” he said.
For now, North Carolina marches on and has a chip on its shoulder, while many feel they shouldn’t be in the field at all.
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