DAYTON, OH — The college basketball world heard from North Carolina Tuesday night—loudly, unmistakably, painfully for the poor San Diego State Aztecs.
What does, take that, disbelievers, look like in Carolina blue? It looks like a final score of 95-68, and showering the best field goal percentage defense in the nation with 14 three-pointers. It looks like leading a respected and accomplished opponent by . . . 40 at one point.
“Part of us wanted to prove the doubters wrong,” guard Seth Trimble would say afterward. “But we were just focused on us; we were focused on proving ourselves right.”
But let’s go back earlier. It is nearly 9 p.m. Tuesday at the First Four.
FIRST FOUR: The First Four of the NCAA tournament, explained
According to the fans of West Virginia, here come the villains. Here come the bad guys, per the fans of Indiana. Here come the undeserving, so say the pundits, who don’t like it when their bracketology is wrong.
Here come the Tar Heels, No. 11 seeds, lowest they’ve ever been. Wonder if they can hear the coast-to-coast grumbles as they take the floor against San Diego State?
“I think we’ve all kind of felt the hate, the disagreement, all that, from everybody outside of the Carolina family and fan base,” Trimble had said the night before. “We’re just running with it. We definitely feel like we’ve got something to prove.”
MARCH MADNESS: The official 2025 men’s tournament bracket
They were here having won eight of their past 10, but that didn’t matter to a lot of people. Seven of their 13 losses for the season were to teams seeded No. 1 or No. 2 in the NCAA Tournament. The only No. 1 seed they haven’t played is Houston, but the skeptics didn’t want to hear it.
That slovenly 1-12 record against quad-one opponents was the rallying cry for the anti-Tar Heel uproar, which is awful. Then again, if someone is going to accept the quad system as the basis for an argument, they must also accept the NET rankings, which include that quad calculation. North Carolina was 15 spots higher than West Virginia and 18 higher than Indiana.
What are your pre-game thoughts, coach Hubert Davis?
“I don’t have any thoughts, and I’m not on social media. In regards to those comments, that would be negligent on my part to comment on something I’ve never read or never heard. I didn’t listen to bracketology. I didn’t listen after our name was selected on CBS. I didn’t listen to the telecasts. I haven’t listened to anybody’s comments in regards to selections, seedings.”
Davis has been telling his team to ignore the distractions and focus on “what is real.” He gave them a Bible verse, Proverbs 4:25. Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.
So, it is the moment of truth Tuesday night at the University of Dayton Arena. If North Carolina wins and looks good, so much for the question of whether the Tar Heels belong. But if they look bad, if they struggle, if they lose . . .
Two hours later, North Carolina has put on a show, using the Aztecs in the wrong place on the wrong night against the wrong opponent as the pummeled supporting cast. The Tar Heels’ 61 percent shooting in the first half led to an astonishing 47-23 halftime lead. Goodness, San Diego State beat Houston, allowed only 37.8 percent shooting all year, and let one opponent get to 80, and that was Gonzaga four months ago. But North Carolina had taken nine three-point attempts, made seven, shot 12 free throws, and missed none. Had scored nearly at will.
The onslaught continued in the second half. The steamrolled Aztecs were so frustrated they picked up an intentional foul trying to stop a fast break. The North Carolina starters could eventually be taken out early to rest for future tasks. That includes RJ Davis, with his 26 points and 6-for-6 shooting from behind the arc.
It is after the game and the Tar Heels are asked to explain what just happened.
RJ Davis sits in a chair and describes his epic performance. He had only two fewer three-pointers than the entire San Diego State team in 21 fewer shots.
“It feels like you’re having a dream and everything’s coming true,” he says. “I was out there having fun but at the same time I told myself this is my last go-around, this is my last time playing on the biggest stage there is, so I just wanted to go out there with a bang.”
POSTGAME PRESSER: North Carolina First Four postgame press conference
No, he says, the furor around their selection has not fazed them.
“For me personally noise is always around me. It’s like that at North Carolina. It’s been like that for my five years. I think we did a good job of not really allowing that to get inside the locker room and just avoiding all those distractions and whatnot. We’ve been doing a good job of not listening to it – yes we heard it but we don’t listen to it.”
And no, the team has not let their heads be turned by the outside to-do about their bid.
“In order to play at this level, (Coach Davis) always uses this reference, horses have blinders going into races, and that’s to avoid any distraction that doesn’t allow them to be their best in the race. I think that reference sits well with the team.”
And yes, it has been a chaotic few days,
“It’s a whirlwind of emotions, especially leading up to the Selection Show. But I think one thing about the team, we’re all grateful for the opportunity.”
And no, the controversy has not put extra fire in their game.
“One thing about this team, one thing about me, we don’t need any extra motivation to go out there and play basketball. We just like to go out there and prove ourselves right and prove everybody wrong. It was more about taking advantage of this moment.”
But it sure looked like a little more than that. Over to Trimble.
“We know we deserved to be here. We’re not looking to send a message to anybody else. We’re just looking to compete as a team and be the team that we know that we’re capable of being. I think we did that tonight.
“We’re the University of North Carolina so we get noise every single day, we get noise after every single game. We’re more than used to it. We’re kind of embracing this villain role that we’re in, we know outside the Carolina family we really have no support and we’re okay with that.”
Hubert Davis says he has not let the distant thunder from the storm around Selection Sunday make a dent with his players.
“My communication with them is to always focus on us. It’s not the noise on the outside in terms of comments and critics. Focusing on our preparation, our practice and our play. I consistently send that message in a number of different ways because that’s the only thing that we have control over. So why waste time doing anything else?”
Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.
Next, Ole Miss in Milwaukee on Friday. No noise about North Carolina belonging there.
The Tar Heels have changed the narrative. Loudly, unmistakably.
