By R.L. Bynum
DAYTON, Ohio — It’s hard to stop this North Carolina team when it’s locked in, even against a highly touted defense.
The Tar Heels rolled in and out of the First Four with a dominating effort, dispatching San Diego State 95–68 in a battle of No. 11 seeds Tuesday at the UD Arena, with peak-level RJ Davis and another impressive game from point guard Elliot Cadeau.
“It doesn’t surprise me that they played one of their better games today,” Coach Hubert Davis said after his team’s ninth win in 11 games. “It’s been a real focused group. Over the last two months, their commitment to team is just continuing to grow.”
RJ Davis scored 26 points and a season-high and UNC tournament-record-tying 6 3-pointers as Carolina moved on to Milwaukee to play a South Regional first-round game at 4:05 p.m. Friday (TNT) against No. 6-seed Ole Miss (22–11).
The Aztecs (21–10) came into the game leading the country in defensive field-goal percentage, 14th in scoring defense and hadn’t previously given up more than 80 points. But they had no answer for Carolina, with Cadeau running the show while on a season-best run. He collected 9 points, 12 assists and only 2 turnovers, and has 42 assists and 9 turnovers in the last five games.
Most UNC assists in NCAA tournament game
14 by Kendall Marshall vs. Washington, 2011 second round
12 by Elliot Cadeau vs. San Diego State, 2025 First Four
12 by RJ Davis vs. Marquette, 2022 first round
12 by Kenny Smith vs. Notre Dame, 1987 Sweet 16
11 five times
The best defensive team on this night was clearly UNC (23–13).
“We got out in transition, we shared the ball, and that’s what got us going,” RJ Davis said. “We shared the ball; everyone contributed in so many ways, and I just think our defense really set the tone for the remainder of the game, the way we were able to get into passing lanes and help guys were there and defensive rebounding was key for us. That allowed us to get easier looks.”
Cadeau and Seth Trimble (16 points, 3 rebounds) led the impressive on-the-ball efforts, pestering ball-handlers and easily getting through screens, repeatedly leading to bad shots. Drake Powell had another good defensive game as well, with a block and a steal.
“The mindset for us was literally just defense,” said Cadeau after his sixth game this season with double-digit assists (UNC is 5–1 in those games). “We didn’t worry about offense. We know we have very talented offensive players, so we just try to fix our mindset to get stops and starting the game off, getting three stops in a row. That’s our goal every day.”
Jae’Lyn Withers had another double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and was one of three Tar Heels with multiple 3-pointers as UNC scored 14 3-pointers, a program record for an NCAA tournament game.
“What I think can carry over is the defense, the taking care of the basketball and the rebounding,” Coach Davis said. “Now, it would be great if we hit 14 threes on Friday; I’ll take that. But the reason why I consistently tell the team the three boxes that we have to check is defense, rebounding and taking care of the basketball is because those are things that travel, and those are the things you can take care of, you’re in control of.”
Trimble said that the team proved it deserved the NCAA berth.
“We’re not looking to send a message to anybody else,” Trimble said. “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’ll go through that when we get to Milwaukee and go from there. We hear what people say. We don’t really care. It is what it is. We’re focused on us.”
Before Selection Sunday, many said that UNC didn’t deserve to get into the field and many have said since then that the Tar Heels making the field shouldn’t be in the tournament.
Most 3s by Tar Heel in NCAA tournament game
6 by RJ Davis vs. San Diego State, 2025 First Four
6 by Caleb Love vs. UCLA, 2022 Sweet 16
6 by Love vs. Marquette, 2022 first round
6 by Marcus Paige vs. Indiana, 2016 Sweet 16
6 by Shammond Williams vs. Charlotte, 1998 second round
Most 3s by UNC in NCAA tournament game
14 vs. San Diego State, 2025 First Four
13 vs. Marquette, 2022 first round
12 vs. Alabama, 2024 Sweet 16
12 vs. Oakland, 2005 first round
11 six times
“We hear the noise, but we don’t really pay any attention to it,” RJ Davis said. “We stay within ourselves, and I think Coach Davis sets a good example for us. In order to play at this level, he 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.”
Carolina took a 13–6 lead with the help of 3-pointers from Cadeau, Withers and Davis, the latter finishing that stretch, despite having more turnovers (6) than field goals (5). But the Tar Heels only had four turnovers the rest of the first half.
But after a Nick Boyd 3-pointer cut the Aztecs’ deficit to two, UNC went on a 20–2 run to take a 20-point lead on a Ven-Allen Lubin (12 points, 3 rebounds) dunk and a Cadeau layup as the Aztecs went 7½ minutes without a field goal.
Davis hit two 3-pointers in the last 47 seconds of the first half as UNC finished with a 10–4 run to lead 47–23 at halftime, the most points against the Aztecs in a half all season. Carolina’s 60.9% first-half shooting was the best in an NCAA tournament game since shooting 62.9% in the second half against Iowa in 2019.
UNC kept it going by scoring the first six second-half points, and an 11–2 run, capped by a Davis 3-pointer, shoved the lead to 40 with 7:36 left.
Carolina’s walk-ons played the last 75 seconds, with Dante Mayo firing in a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left.
NOTES — Carolina became the first team in NCAA tournament history to score 95 points, shoot at least 50% from the floor (52.6%), 50% from 3-point range (58.3%) and 85% from the free throw-line (87.5%). … UNC’s 27-point victory is the second-largest win in the First Four (which began in 2011) behind Florida Gulf Coast’s 31-point win over Fairleigh Dickinson in 2016. … RJ Davis broke Hubert Davis’ record for most 3-pointers without a miss in an NCAA tournament game. Coach Davis made all five attempts against Eastern Michigan in the 1991 Sweet 16. … Carolina gets two days of rest after the First Four instead of the usual one day. Bubba Cunningham said that was because BYU originally was slotted for a Friday-Sunday subregional. That was one reason for the switch since it can’t play on Sunday. … When Carolina led by 40 points with 7:30 left, it was the second-largest lead this season (beat American by 52 points on Nov. 15). … UNC is 11–1 this season and 32–2 overall under Coach Davis when scoring at least 90 points. … UNC is 3–0 against the Aztecs, and Coach Davis has been part of all three wins, playing in a 103–92 road win on Dec. 29, 1988, and a 99–83 home win on Nov. 24, 1990. … UNC is 8–2 in the NCAA tournament under Coach Davis. … Ole Miss, making the program’s 10th NCAA appearance with its highest seed since being No. 3 in 2001, has four common opponents with UNC: Louisville (won 86–63 Dec. 3 on the road), Alabama (won 84–74 Jan. 14 on the road), Auburn (lost 92–82 Feb. 1 at home, 106–76 Feb. 26 on the road and 62–57 March 14 in the SEC tournament) and Florida (lost 90–71 March 8 on the road). The Rebels are 2–4 against those teams and the Tar Heels are 0–4. … It was UNC’s NCAA-high 134th tournament win. … UNC is 3–1 in NCAA tournament games in Dayton, winning 79–64 over Alabama in 1976. In 2006, the Heels beat Murray State 69–65, then lost to George Mason 65–60. … San Diego State center Magoon Gwath (9 points, 5 rebounds), the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, played for the first time since being sidelined Feb. 22 with a knee injury.
UNC 95, San Diego State 68
South Regional
Tuesday’s First Four results
No. 16 Alabama St. 70, No. 16 St. Francis 68
No. 11 North Carolina 95, No. 11 San Diego State 68
First round
Thursday’s results
Lexington, Ky.
No. 1 Auburn 83, No. 16 Alabama State 63
No. 9 Creighton 89, No. 8 Louisville 75
Denver
No. 4 Texas A&M 80, No. 13 Yale 71
No. 5 Michigan 68, No. 12 UC San Diego 65
Friday’s games
Milwaukee
No. 3 Iowa St. 82, No. 14 Lipscomb 55
No. 8 Ole Miss 71, No. 11 North Carolina 64
Cleveland
No. 10 New Mexico 75, No. 7 Marquette 55
No. 2 Michigan St. 87, No. 15 Bryant 62
Second round
Saturday’s results
Lexington, Ky.
No. 5 Michigan 91, No. 4 Texas A&M 79
No. 1 Auburn 81,. No. 9 Creighton 70
Sunday’s results
Milwaukee
No. 8 Ole Miss 91, No. 3 Iowa State 78
Cleveland
No. 2 Michigan St. 71, No. 10 New Mexico 63
Regional semifinals
Atlanta
Friday’s games
No. 8 Ole Miss (24-11) vs. No. 2 Michigan St. (29–6), 7:09, CBS
No. 5 Michigan (27-9) vs. No. 1 Auburn (20–5), 9:39, CBS
Sunday’s regional final
Atlanta
Sweet 16 winners
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 13 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 14 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 7 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 17 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 20 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 22 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics
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