FORT WORTH, Texas — North Carolina went from cruising into Philadelphia and the Sweet 16, to looking like it’d suffer the biggest collapse in program history, to finally winning in overtime with a lineup it’s never played with all season.
The No. 8 seed Tar Heels defeated No. 1 seed and defending national champion Baylor, 93-86, in perhaps the wildest game of the NCAA Tournament so far.
The Tar Heels led 67-42 with 10:08 in regulation when the game changed on one foul. UNC forward Brady Manek, who scored 26 points and had four 3-pointers, was ejected from the game after getting a flagrant-2 foul called on him.
Manek’s elbow went high while trying to block out Baylor forward Jeremy Sochan on a rebound and sent him to the ground.
Baylor immediately went on an 11-0 run to get back within striking distance with eight minutes to play.
Carolina’s collapse continued when Caleb Love fouled out with 6:15 left and took yet another of its scorers out of the lineup.
Coach Hubert Davis hadn’t used his bench much all season, but was now forced to go with freshmen Dontrez Styles, junior Justin McKoy and sophomore Puff Johnson to close out the game.
As the lead kept crumbling and the Bears used its full court pressure to inch closer, Carolina would get a play here and there to keep them at bay.
R.J. Davis (game-high 30 points) was fouled on a 3-pointer. Armando Bacot (15 points, 16 rebounds) had a 3-point play when Baylor clearly fouled him — and it wasn’t called — before he ever got the shot off.
Baylor pulled within 80-77 when Sochan banked in a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left. Up by three with 25 seconds left, Bacot missed a pair of free throws, which allowed James Akinjo to complete the rally on a three-point play when he was fouled by Davis with 15 seconds left.
Davis had a final shot to try and win the game in regulation, but his 3-point attempt fell short.
In overtime, it was Davis’ three-point play with 1:18 left that put the Heels up 91-85 and ultimately sealed the game as the Bears, who were led by Adam Flagler's 27 points, never scored another basket.
3-point shooting
Seems like Carolina left its poor shooting behind in Brooklyn after going 3 for 26 in its loss to Virginia Tech. In its two NCAA Tournament games, the Heels have been hot from behind the arc.
R.J. Davis shot just 1 for 10 from the field in Carolina’s first round win over Marquette. But the sophomore guard showed no signs of having an off night against Baylor.
Davis was 5 for 7 from the field and scored 17 of his career-high 30 points in the first half. By the time he knocked in his fourth 3-pointer in front of the Baylor bench and made “3-goggles” with his fingers over his eyes, Carolina took a 42-29 lead into halftime.
They buried Marquette with 13 makes while shooting 37%.
The Bears entered the game allowing opponents to shoot only 29.7% from 3-point range. But Carolina got open looks early and made 6 of its 13 attempts in the first half. It finished tying a season-high for a Baylor opponent with 11 3s on 44%shooting.
What’s with the technicals?
Seeing blue has apparently brought out the rage in Carolina’s opponents. Or maybe its because Hubert Davis has preached bringing the fight to them. Either way, the Heels have frustrated both Marquette and Baylor.
The Golden Eagles had three technical fouls called against them in the first round. That included one on guard Darryl Morsell for grabbing Love by the neck while scrambling for a loose ball. The two had exchanged words prior to the mixup.
Against Baylor, it was forward Jeremy Sochan who was acting up. Sochan showed he wasn’t trying to be friendly when he was on the ground and didn’t accept Manek’s extended hand to help him up.
On the ensuing possession, Sochan was given a technical foul after getting tangled up with Armando Bacot. Sochan was on the floor and squeezed his legs together to not allow Bacot to get his foot free.
Bacot earned one himself too, when he was again tangled with Sochan on the floor. Officials issued a double foul before reviewing the monitor and giving Bacot a technical for tripping Sochan.
