How's that for a response?
For two days, all North Carolina heard was how they didn't belong in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels hadn't beaten anybody, they were Quad 2 merchants, they'd fattened up on a historically down ACC, their resume wasn't deserving of an at-large bid to the Big Dance.
But UNC sure looked deserving on Tuesday night, rampaging past San Diego State in a 95-68 win that felt over midway through the first half. There's still a very long way to go, but if RJ Davis and Co. can bottle up this performance, there's no telling how far they can go in this tournament.
What does the Tar Heels' path look like? Let's go to the updated March Madness bracket after the results of Tuesday night's games.
Who does UNC play next? Updated NCAA Tournament bracket after win over San Diego State
UNC's win officially moves it into the field of 64, setting up a first-round matchup with 6-seed Ole Miss in the South region on Friday. Chris Beard's team went 21-11 overall this season, 10-8 in the rugged SEC, with an 8-10 record in Quad 1 games that stands in stark contrast to Carolina's resume. The Rebels have been fading of late, though, just 3-5 in their last eight games.
This game could very well come down to the turnover battle. The Rebels aren't the most dynamic scoring team, they they take exceedingly good care of the ball, with a 12.8% turnover rate that ranks third in the entire country. They also had the best turnover margin in the SEC this season, forcing over five more turnovers per game than they committed.
UNC, on the other hand, can get a little loose with it at times. The Heels' turnover rate in conference games sat eighth in the ACC at 15.8%, and they hardly turned opposing offenses over at all. When RJ Davis is cooking and the transition game gets rolling, Carolina has proven that it can be tough to beat. But they'll need to find a way to be able to get stops in order to start those fast breaks, and that could be easier said than done.
UNC-Ole Miss matchup history
Believe it or not, this will be the very first meeting between these two men's basketball programs. It's the first time Ole Miss is appearing in the Big Dance at all since 2019, and only the 10th time in school history. UNC, by contrast, has made the tourney a whopping 54 times.