On Saturday afternoon, it looked like defending national champion Baylor (-5.5 favorites) would leave the Men’s NCAA tournament with a whimper.
The No. 1 seed in the East Region, the Bears had more than their fair share of struggles with No. 8 North Carolina. At one point, very late in the second half, the Tar Heels held a stratospheric 25-point lead. Hubert Davis and Co. were cruising. Then Brady Manek was ejected on what seemed like a questionable flagrant foul, and this game flipped on its head.
Showing the heart of a champion, Baylor stormed back to tie the game at 80 on the strength of a James Akinjo and-1at the last minute.