By Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer

North Carolina Tar Heels	64
Ole Miss Rebels	71
Final

Milwaukee — North Carolina cut Ole Miss’ lead to 2 points late in the second half, but the Tar Heels’ comeback fell short.

UNC’s season is over after losing to Ole Miss, 71-64, on Friday in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

“To come up short like that, it sucks,” UNC senior guard RJ Davis said. “It hurts.”

Davis said Friday’s result reflected North Carolina’s up-and-down season. The Tar Heels finished with a 23-14 record.

“Us being a resilient team and perservering when things don’t go our way, when we get knocked down, we get right back up and I think that’s what we did in the second half, we just came up short,” Davis said.

Ole Miss senior guard Sean Pedulla made the team’s only 3-pointer of the second half with 52.9 seconds left to give the Rebels a 69-64 lead over North Carolina. Pedulla had a game-high 20 points.

Pedulla said it was the biggest shot of his career.

“At that point of the game, they were on a huge run and we needed that bucket,” Pedulla said. “So, I just … shot it with confidence and the rest was in God’s hands.”

UNC freshman Drake Powell missed a 3-pointer on the following possession.

Before Pedulla’s 3-pointer, Davis’ left-handed, and-one layup cut the Rebels’ lead to 3 points. It was 66-64 after Davis made the free throw with 1:09 left. Davis had a team-high 15 points on 6 of 17 shooting.

“I have a lot of emotions going through my head right now,” Davis said after the game.

UNC head coach Hubert Davis acknowledged coaching his star guard for the past five years.

“[I’m] just thinking about the seniors, thinking about how much I enjoyed coaching them and having relationships with them, but there’s a number of things going through my mind right now,” Hubert Davis said.

RJ Davis finishes his UNC career as the third-highest scorer in ACC history (2,725 points) behind Tar Heels legend Tyler Hansbrough (2,872 points) and Duke’s J.J. Redick (2,769 points).

“The past five years has been the greatest five years of my life,” RJ Davis said. “It’s bigger than basketball just the relationships and friendships that I’ve built here from [Hubert Davis] down to the coaching staff.”

RJ Davis helped lead the Tar Heels to an appearance in the 2022 national championship game and he was the 2024 ACC Player of the Year. His 175 games played at UNC are a program record.

Junior guard Seth Trimble, who scored 7 of his 9 points in the second half, said he’s learned a lot from RJ Davis.

“The second I stepped on campus, he was there,” Trimble said. “I asked him, ‘Hey, could we work out in the summer?’ I basically asked, ‘Hey, can I follow you? Hey, can I do everything that you do?’

“And, I’m fortunate enough for him just to accept me since the early time and just share with me all the knowledge that he’s shared over the years. I’ve learned how to be a better leader. I’ve learned how to be a more confident basketball player. Yeah, I mean, I’ve learned a whole lot from RJ.”

The Rebels’ had a 22-point lead when they led 50-28 at the 17:48 mark of the second half. UNC never had a lead during Friday’s game.

North Carolina went on a 11-0 run in the second half, cutting Ole Miss’ lead to 4 points at 63-59 with 5 minutes left. It wasn’t enough for the Tar Heels.

Ole Miss (23-11) advances to play Iowa State (25-9) on Sunday in the second round of the tournament.

Duke is the only ACC team remaining in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils play Baylor on Sunday in the second round of the tournament.

Jae’Lyn Withers leaves game with right ankle injury

In the second half, UNC teammates helped senior forward Jae’Lyn Withers off the floor with an apparent right ankle injury.

Withers rolled his ankle after he was fouled while driving to the basket at the 16:02 mark of the second half with the Tar Heels trailing 50-30. He grabbed his ankle after he hit the floor and did not return to the game.

Withers finished with five points, two rebounds and an assist.

Two members of the UNC basketball staff helped Withers to the locker room. It appeared that Withers struggled to put weight on his right leg.

Like RJ Davis, Withers also exhausted his fifth and final year of eligiblity.

UNC’s historic halftime defecit

North Carolina trailed Ole Miss 44-26 at halftime.

“There was only two choices coming out in the second half either to respond with that same type of fight or get embarrassed,” Hubert Davis said. “And, I was really proud of how our guys fought back competitively and got back into the game.”

UNC’s 18-point halftime defecit marked the second-largest in program history in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels trailed Houston by 19 at halftime of the 1967 third-place game.

Ole Miss opened the game on an 11-2 run, prompting a North Carolina timeout. The Tar Heels got within four points at 14-10, but the Rebels built a double-digit lead for the remainder of the first half after the 10:39 mark.

Pedulla and two other Rebels players scored in double figures.

Ole Miss senior guard Dre Davis finished with 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting. He had 13 points in the first half. Rebels senior forward Jaemyn Brakefield also had 12 points in Friday’s game.

Ole Miss shot 51.9% from the floor in the first half, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, UNC shot 34.6% from the floor in the first half.

The Rebels outrebounded the Tar Heels 21-12 in the first half.

Transfer portal opens Monday

The men’s basketball transfer portal opens Monday. It is open through April 22.

After Friday’s game, a reporter asked Hubert Davis if he’s evaluated players coming back and which players the UNC could potentially target in the portal.

“That’s a great question,” Hubert Davis said. “That’s something that I have not thought about at all.”

Hubert Davis said his plan was to win Friday’s game against Ole Miss and play Iowa State on Sunday.

“It being less than half an hour [or] 45 minutes from a loss, that’s something I will have to think about, but I haven’t about it now and I’m not going to think about it today,” Hubert Davis said.

The Tar Heels have made the NCAA Tournament in three of Hubert Davis’ four seasons coaching the program. Friday’s loss marked the earliest NCAA Tournament exit for the Tar Heels during his coaching tenure.

UNC was a controversial NCAA selection on Sunday. The Tar Heels were the last at-large team to make the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

However, North Carolina routed San Diego State in Tuesday’s play-in game.

North Carolina seemed a long shot to make the NCAA Tournament with a 1-12 record in Quadrant 1 games, but was chosen thanks to a strong nonconference schedule and other metrics.

Source: wralsportsfan.com