Carolina’s thrilling second-round win over No. 1 seed Baylor set social media ablaze as the Bears mounted a furious second-half comeback after being down 25 points. The comeback started after UNC graduate forward Brady Manek was ejected due to a Flagrant 2 foul against Baylor’s Jeremy Sochan. The call sparked controversy, as some deemed the foul worthy only of a Flagrant 1, which would have kept Manek in the game.

Once Baylor began to come back, some viewers began to question the officiating crew working the game.

Once Baylor forced overtime, morale among Carolina fans was low. With Caleb Love and Brady Manek out for the game and Armando Bacot saddled with four fouls, things looked dire.

Once in overtime, though, Dontrez Styles began the extra session with a clutch three-pointer. Styles was called into action as Carolina’s list of available players grew thin, and ended the night with nine points off the bench.

Eventually, Carolina fought past the Bears in a ragged overtime session, winning 93-86 and advancing to the Sweet 16. R.J. Davis poured in a career-high 30 points, including a much-needed three-point play late in overtime to help Carolina pull away.

Mainly, though, Carolina fans and players alike were just glad the game was finally over.

Even Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer gave his thoughts on the game.

Speaking of upsets, Carolina was well-aware that few brackets picked them to advance past the Bears.

Now, Carolina will face another of last season’s Final Four teams, No. 4 seed UCLA, in Philadelphia on Friday night.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet


Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.