North Carolina delivered a message to the haters. The blowout victory won’t quell any frustration over the Tar Heels sneaking into the field — especially in Morgantown — but they certainly looked like a Tournament team. UNC completely locked up SDSU defensively, particularly in the first half, limiting the Aztecs to 27 percent from the field and allowing Carolina to get out in transition. It also helped that the Tar Heels shot fireballs all night, hitting 14 of 24 from deep. San Diego State couldn’t keep up.
Regardless of the outside outrage, tonight provided some vindication for North Carolina, and helped soothe the pain of that lane-violating loss to Duke in the ACC tournament. Plus, UNC has been playing better down the stretch. It lost four games since the start of February: once to Clemson and three times against Duke. A First Four team has made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament each of the past four seasons, and the Tar Heels look like a viable candidate to make it five in a row. If they can carry this momentum into Friday, they will be a handful for Ole Miss.
First Four: North Carolina dominates San Diego State; Alabama State tops Saint Francis in a thriller
