Dayton, Ohio – From the moment North Carolina lost to Duke in the ACC tournament semi -finals of Friday, the construction of anxiety began, such as it would be for any NCAA tournament bubble team.
Will Tar Heels make the ground or decrease, as many brackets predicted?
UNC guard Seth Timbal said, “From Friday night to 6 pm on Friday night after Duke, we did not know yet.”
The answer came Sunday. Northern Carolina, despite a 1–12 records against opponents, was in the tournament, which was the last team receiving a berth. Heels were an unpopular selection, and the criticism around their inclusion reached some players.
But two days followed different emotions compared to two days after the grains.
Timbal said, “As soon as we saw that we were 11th seed in Denon on Sunday evening, we knew it was time.” “So, we dropped it immediately. We were able to give up our veins and shaking and were able to play a good game as a team.”
Northern Carolina not only played a good game, but a historical and major, which was crushing the San Diego state in UD Arena on 95–68. The heel grew up in the south region, where they will face number 6 Seed Ole Miss on Friday afternoon in Milwauki.
He left nothing to give a chance, with an early 20-2 early stages and more on a halftime (47-23) than doubled the point of Aztech. Northern Carolina killed 14 3-pointers, the highest in the NCAA tournament game as the 3-point line became official in 1986-87.
Senior Guard RJ Davis NCAA became the first heels player to visit 6-off-6 on 3-pointers in the tournament game, against former UNC star and current coach Hubert Davis against Eastern Michigan in 1991, crossing the record of 5-for-5.
“This is a real moment,” RJ Davis said, who became the first player to shoot on 6-6 or better 3-pointers in a big dance since Nick Stocks of Michigan in Sweet sixteen of 2013 against Florida. “This is just amazing to break the record, set new records, especially as a child for me. You have grown up looking at the northern Carolina, you see all the players who have played here, and you are really that person now. You are in their shoes.
“To set my own legacy for me and set my own type of records, it’s one thing in high school, but in college, it’s like a different level.”
Northern Carolina led 40 points against the San Diego state team, which created the NCAA championship game in 2023, then last year did not lag behind 40 since the Sweet sixteen and at least 2018-19 campaign. Aztec did not allow more than 80 points in a game this season before Tuesday.
If not for the heavenly SDSU boom, Northern Carolina would have recorded the biggest difference of victory in the first four, which attracted a large contingent of fans wearing tar heel blue.
Timbal said, “We know that we deserve to live here,” who had 16 points and made all its six free throw efforts during the UNC’s first half. “We are not looking to send a message to someone else. We are just looking to compete as a team and that is the team that we know we are able to be.”
Northern Carolina will take longer than Tuesday’s performance to become that type of team. Northern Carolina’s condolence IV was not 1 record, as the result of San Diego state was worthy of a quarter of 2 wins, the heels mark improved 9–0 in those competitions.
They are less than three places since the beggar started in 1979, which they are ever less. His selection had severely criticized, especially for the Chairman of the Northern Carolina Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham, NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, who witnessed the victory of Tuesday from Press Ro, next to ACC Commissioner Jim Philips.
“I am sure there is still doubt from outside,” Timble said. “I’m sure that still hate.”
But there is a different belief within the northern Carolina, which was not always during a rough stretch in November and January. But Hubert Davis has seen reforms with the team in both performance and leadership.
“It doesn’t surprise me that he played one of his better sports today,” he said. “This has been a real concentrated group. I spoke in the first year how calm this team was, and the amount of voices is exactly where it should be, whether it is in the bodle, in the bus, on the floor. Just a real connected group right now.”
The group will march in Milwauki near Menomoni Falls, Visconsin, the group trimbal.
Some teams who succeeded in the first four have used it as a deep tournament as a springboard, including VCU in 2011 and UCLA in 2021, both went all the way to the last four.
Can Northern Carolina be the next?
Timble said, “We know that we are not going away if we try and play our name on our number and back,” Timble said. “You have got to play for the name in front of Jersey and just have to play for each other, and we will see how far it goes.”
