On Tuesday night in Dayton, UNC left no question as to which team should’ve been the NCAA Tournament’s odd one out.

The No. 11 seed Tar Heels blew out San Diego State at the First Four in Dayton Tuesday night, leading by as many as 40 points on their way to a 95-68 win.

R.J. Davis led all scorers with 26 points and tied his season high with six made three-pointers in a spotless 6-6 performance from downtown. The long-distance bonanza also tied a single-game NCAA Tournament record for a Tar Heel, as Davis equaled previous marks from Caleb Love (twice), Shammond Williams and Marcus Paige. Davis also surpassed UNC’s NCAA Tournament record for most made threes without a miss. The previous record-holder was current head coach Hubert Davis.

“We did a good job of sticking to our game plan and playing Carolina basketball,” R.J. Davis said afterward. “We shared the ball, and that’s what got us going. Everyone contributed in so many ways.”

“That’s just who R.J. is,” Seth Trimble said of Davis’ performance. “I expect that type of game from him. I maybe expected him to miss one three, but he didn’t tonight. I have no complaints at all. If he can do that every single game, I’m absolutely here for it.”

UNC’s 95 points were the most allowed by the Aztecs all season. Against a San Diego State defense which led the nation in opposing field-goal percentage, the Tar Heels shot 30-57 (52.6 percent) from the floor. On the other side of the ball, the Carolina defense held San Diego State to a 23-58 (39.7) shooting performance. The Aztecs didn’t make consecutive shots for the entire first half, which ended with UNC leading 47-23. After the score stood at 13-11 early, the Tar Heels outscored the Aztecs 34-12 to end the half.

“It took an evolution,” Trimble said of the defensive performance. “I think now, everybody’s bought into it. Everybody’s bought into the little details and we’ve followed our principles. It’s taken us somewhere, and we’ve gotta keep going.”

Trimble scored 16 points off the bench. Ven-Allen Lubin added 12 points, while Jae’Lyn Withers posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. Elliot Cadeau came a point away from a double-double of his own, scoring nine while adding 12 assists (one off tying a career high). In addition, UNC shot 21-24 (87.5 percent) at the free-throw line and dominated the glass against a tall San Diego State frontcourt. Carolina owned a 39-28 rebounding advantage.

“Over the last month-and-a-half… we’ve just gotten better and better,” said head coach Hubert Davis. “It’s coming at the right time.”

The win improves UNC to 23-13 overall this season. The Tar Heels will play No. 6 seed Ole Miss in the first round of the tournament Friday in Milwaukee at 4:05 p.m.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Jeff Dean

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