By Brian Murphy, WRAL

San Diego State Aztecs	68
North Carolina Tar Heels	95
Final

North Carolina was the last team in the NCAA Tournament field, a decision met with outrcy from many who questioned whether the Tar Heels and their spotty résumé deserved the spot.

In Tuesday’s First Four, the Tar Heels showed that, for one night at least, they are a tournament-quality team.

North Carolina crushed San Diego State 95-68 in a battle of No. 11 seeds on Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio. The Tar Heels led by as many as 40 in the second half.

UNC (23-13) advances to the first round to face No. 6 seed Ole Miss (22-11) in Milwaukee on Friday afternoon.

“We know we deserve to be here,” said UNC guard Seth Trimble said, who had 16 points. “We’re not looking to send a message to anybody else. We’re just looking to compete as a team and be the team that we know that we’re capable of bring. And I think we did that tonight. We’re going to do that when we get to Milwaukee and go from there. We hear what people say. We don’t really care about it.”

The Tar Heels took control early behind hot shooting from 3-point range. UNC hit its first five 3-point attempts and went on a 20-2 run in the first half. For the game, North Carolina made 14-of-24 3-point attempts — the 14 makes were a school record in the NCAA Tournament.

Guard RJ Davis was 6-for-6 from 3-point range and had a team-high 26 points. His six 3s tied a school record for made 3-pointers in the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s not surprising and it’s also comforting, as a head coach, to have him out there on the floor,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said of RJ Davis’ performance. “As a head coach, I don’t know what it looks like to exist without him on the sideline and on the floor, and I don’t want to think about it.

“And you think about not just his game, but his character, who he is, the type of person, the relationship that we have and developed over the years, and to see him just have an outstanding game tonight was really fun to watch.”

Elliott Cadeau had 12 assists, and Jae’Lyn Withers had 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

San Diego State (21-10) hadn’t allowed 95 points in regulation since 2006. The most points the Aztecs allowed in a game this season was 80.

“To get into March, to play in March, it’s the dream of a lifetime,” RJ Davis said after the game in a television interview.

It was a shocking result in a game between two programs that are used to success in the NCAA Tournament, not playing on the opening days. UNC played for the national championship in 2022. San Diego State played for the national championship in 2023.

The Tar Heels’ inclusion in the field set off a wave of criticism from college basketball analysts and commentators. The governor of West Virginia weighed in, asking for investigation because the Mountaineers were the first team out and because UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham was the chairman of the selection committee that picked the field.

“I didn’t listen to bracketology,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said Monday. “I didn’t listen after our name was selected on CBS. I didn’t listen to the telecasts. I haven’t listened to anybody’s comments in regards to selections, seedings. I know that we’re really excited to be a part of this, and we’re looking forward to tomorrow night.”

A No. 11 seed is the lowest seed North Carolina has ever received in the NCAA Tournament. UNC has never been seeded lower than No. 8, which it has been five times. Twice, in 2000 and in 2022, it advanced to the Final Four as an eight seed.

UNC went 1-12 in Quad 1 games before the tournament. Those are games against the top 75 teams in the nation on the road, against the top 50 at neutral sites and against the top 25 at home. UNC was 21-1 in Quad 2 (8-0), 3 (7-1) and 4 (6-0) games.

San Diego State ranked 52 in the NET, so the game in Dayton would be considered a Quad 2 game. UNC ranked No. 36 in the NET.

“For us to be considered an 11 team and to have people asking, ‘Do you think you’re a tournament team?’ That irks my soul because I know we are and I know what we’re capable of,” RJ Davis said Monday. “It’s really just about proving ourselves right than people wrong.”

The Tar Heels have been playing for their tournament lives for much of the season after starting the season ranked in the top 10. UNC went 8-2 in its final 10 games with both losses to No. 1 Duke, including in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday.

“I think we’ve all kind of felt the hate, the disagreement, all that,” Trimble said Monday. “We’re just running with it. We definitely feel like we’ve got something to prove.”

North Carolina forward Ven-Allen Lubin dunks during the first half of a First Four college basketball game against San Diego State in the NCAA Tournament, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Capsule

Records: North Carolina Tar Heels (22-13, 15-8 ACC) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (21-9, 14-7 MWC)

Where: Dayton, Ohio; Tuesday, 9:10 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tar Heels -3.5; over/under is 142.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Aztecs’ record in MWC games is 14-7, and their record is 7-2 against non-conference opponents. San Diego State averages 70.9 points and has outscored opponents by 7.3 points per game.

The Tar Heels are 15-8 against ACC teams. Five of the losses came to teams in the NCAA Tournament: Duke (three times), Clemson and Louisville. North Carolina averages 80.8 points and has outscored opponents by 5.8 points per game.

San Diego State’s average of 7.7 made 3-pointers per game this season is just 0.1 fewer made shots on average than the 7.8 per game North Carolina gives up. North Carolina averages 17.2 more points per game (80.8) than San Diego State allows to opponents (63.6).

TOP PERFORMERS: Nicholas Boyd is averaging 13.4 points and four assists for the Aztecs. BJ Davis is averaging 1.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

RJ Davis is averaging 17 points and 3.7 assists for the Tar Heels. Ven-Allen Lubin is averaging 13.0 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Aztecs: 6-4, averaging 69.4 points, 28.6 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 7.7 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.1 points per game.

Tar Heels: 8-2, averaging 82.9 points, 32.8 rebounds, 15.3 assists, 5.1 steals and 3.1 blocks per game while shooting 49.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.9 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Source: wralsportsfan.com