After defeating the No. 4 seed UCLA Bruins 73-66, the No. 8 seed UNC Tar Heels advanced to the Elite Eight.
The No. 8 UNC Tar Heels lost a 25-point lead in the second half to the No. 1 Baylor Bears in the Round of 32. This squad has advanced to the Elite Eight.
The Tar Heels upset the No. 4 UCLA Bruins 73-66 on Friday night to advance to the Sweet 16. With that win, North Carolina fans’ aspirations of facing the Duke Blue Devils in the Final Four remain alive.
Caleb Love, a sophomore guard, was the Tar Heels’ hero. Love scored 27 points in the final 20 minutes of regulation after only scoring three points in the first half. Love hit the three-pointer with under two minutes left to tie the game at 64 points apiece, then the shot behind the arc with over a minute left to give the Tar Heels a 67-64 lead.
Love went 11-for-24 from the field and 6-for-15 from the three-point range to score 30 points. He also had three rebounds and four assists. Armando Bacot, a junior forward, scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and grabbed 15 rebounds.
Jules Benard, a senior guard for the Bruins, led the squad with 16 points (7-for-11 from the field).
In the NCAA Tournament, who will UNC face next?
On Sunday, March 27, the Tar Heels will face the No. 15 Saint Peter’s Peacocks in the Elite Eight.
This is the same Peacocks squad that had a Cinderella run in the NCAA Tournament, defeating the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats in the first round and the No. 7 Murray State Racers in the second. Saint Peter’s stunned the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers with a 67-64 victory earlier on Friday night.
