There has been controversy about whether or not the North Carolina Tar Heels should have made the field of 68. But putting that aside, UNC proved its upside on Tuesday night in the First Four against San Diego State. North Carolina beat the Aztecs 95-68. Veteran RJ Davis put on a show against SDSU, totaling 26 points on 8-12 shooting from the field while going a perfect 6-6 on three-pointers.
But let’s evaluate North Carolina’s path forward now that they are officially in the NCAA March Madness tournament.
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North Carolina to Reach the Sweet Sixteen (+240)
The Tar Heels are slated to face the Ole Miss Rebels in the round of 64 on Friday at 4:05 p.m. ET. North Carolina had a terrific shooting performance against San Diego State, making 58 percent of their three-pointers (14-24). If they put together a complete team outing like this, the Tar Heels have a chance against anyone.
Since the First Four was introduced in 2011, each season a team featured in it has advanced to at least the second round. UNC has a good chance to add their name to this list on Friday. If Davis has a game like he did on Tuesday night, UNC will be in a good position to get past the Rebels. Davis has come on strong lately, scoring 20-plus points in three of the previous five games. Including the First Four, Davis has totaled 20 or more points in three of his last four games in the tournament.
Even though Ole Miss is a No. 6 seed, North Carolina is the favorite at -1.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook. This is the perfect time for UNC to face them since Ole Miss has lost two of their last three games. The Rebels have also gone 3-5 in their previous eight games. Ole Miss has a well-balanced team with six players averaging double digits, but they don’t have a guy who can go toe-to-toe with Davis.
If UNC can get past Ole Miss, they will face the winner of No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb. Iowa State is not the same team they were to start the season, as they are without their second-leading scorer, Keshon Gilbert. The Cyclones are 3-4 in their last seven contests and haven’t looked like a three-seed lately. It would still be a tough matchup, but momentum is a massive factor in March, and the Tar Heels seem to have it.
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