By JEFF WALLNER Associated Press
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — RJ Davis scored 26 points and went 6 of 6 from 3-point range to help North Carolina silence some skeptics with a dominant 95-68 victory over San Diego State in a First Four matchup Tuesday night.
Davis’ six 3-pointers tied Caleb Love’s program record for an NCAA Tournament game. Love had six against UCLA in 2022. Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis went 5 for 5 from deep against Eastern Michigan in 1991.
The 14 made 3-pointers were the most for North Carolina in an NCAA Tournament game. The Tar Heels hit 13 against Marquette in 2022.
Seth Trimble had 16 points for North Carolina in a matchups of No. 11 seeds.
The Tar Heels were a controversial selection for the NCAA Tournament, and they played like a team with something to prove.
North Carolina shot 61% in the first half and went 7 of 9 from 3-point range. Davis’ long 3 just before the halftime buzzer gave the Tar Heels their largest lead to that point, 47-23.
North Carolina advanced to face No. 6 seed Mississippi in a South Region game Friday in Milwaukee.
Nick Boyd and Wayne McKinney III each scored 12 for the Aztecs.
The Tar Heels (23-13) seemed a long shot to make the tournament with a 1-12 record in Quadrant 1 games, but were chosen Sunday thanks to a strong nonconference schedule and other metrics.
San Diego State (21-10) led the nation in field goal percentage defense, but had no answer for the Tar Heels.