By JEFF WALLNER Associated Press
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — North Carolina was a controversial selection for the NCAA Tournament, but the Tar Heels can silence some skeptics with a win over San Diego State on Tuesday night at the First Four.
The winner will face No. 6 seed Mississippi on Friday in Milwaukee.
The Tar Heels (22-13) seemed a long shot to make the tournament with a 1-12 record in Quadrant 1 games, but were chosen Sunday thanks to a strong nonconference schedule and other metrics.
“I didn’t listen to bracketology,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said Monday. “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. I know that we’re really excited to be a part of this, and we’re looking forward to tomorrow night.”
UNC’s inclusion fueled some conspiracy theories, with athletic director Bubba Cunningham being chair of the selection committee.
Rules state that Cunningham could not participate in the debate about his team, so the vice chair, Sun Belt Conference commissioner Keith Gill, presided over discussions about the Tar Heels.
The knock against North Carolina was a lack of Quad 1 wins. But the Tar Heels played the nation’s fifth-toughest nonconference schedule, which included games against No. 1 NCAA Tournament seeds Auburn and Florida, No. 2 seeds Alabama and Michigan State, and a trip to Kansas, which earned a No. 7 seed.
And the Tar Heels had higher rankings in the NET (36th), KenPom (33rd) and BPI (25th) than West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio State and Boise State, the first four teams left out of the field.
Additionally, they finished slightly ahead of the Mountaineers for best among that group in Wins Above Bubble (WAB), a metric added this year looking at how many more or fewer wins a team has against its schedule compared to what a bubble team would expect.
Regardless, San Diego State (21-9) isn’t going to make things easy for the Tar Heels.
The Aztecs lead the nation in field goal percentage defense (.378) and rank 13th in defensive efficiency.
“I think our identity is in our defense and our effort,” forward Jared Coleman-Jones said. “I think that if we play really good defense and we play with effort and we play with swagger, I think everything else is going to handle itself.”
RJ Davis carries the load for the Tar Heels, averaging 17 points and 3.7 assists per game.
The No. 11 seed is the lowest ever for North Carolina, which is making its 54th NCAA Tournament appearance, second-most to Kentucky’s 62.
Despite the questions about their resume, the Tar Heels practiced on Sunday and prepared to play.
“I think we’ve all kind of felt the hate, the disagreement, all that,” guard Seth Trimble said. “We’re just running with it. We definitely feel like we’ve got something to prove.”
Familiar foes
When No. 11 seeds Texas and Xavier play on Wednesday night in Dayton, it will mark the fourth time since 1990 the teams have met in the NCAA Tournament.
The Longhorns (19-15) beat the Musketeers 83-71 in the 2023 Sweet 16. In 2004, Xavier beat Texas 79-71 to reach the Elite Eight before losing to top-seeded Duke 66-63.
Zach Freemantle returned from injury and averaged 19.8 points during a seven-game winning streak to close the regular season, helping the Musketeers (21-11) return to the tournament after missing out last year.
The First Four extends the standout freshman season for Longhorns guard Tre Johnson, who led the SEC in scoring with 19.8 points per game.
The Longhorns and Musketeers were firmly on the bubble entering Selection Sunday. The winner will face No. 6 seed Illinois on Friday night in Milwaukee.
“It’s so difficult to make the tournament,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said. “There’s so much invested. We played our best basketball as we entered March.”
Unlikely dancers
Saint Francis (PA) made an unlikely return to the University of Dayton Arena after becoming the 19th team to reach the NCAA Tournament with a losing record.
The Red Flashes (16-17) lost their season opener 87-57 to the Dayton Flyers on Nov. 4, and few would have predicted they’d return to the same building in March.
“We’re obviously very excited we’ve already played here before,” Saint Francis guard Riley Parker said. “The first game we played here didn’t turn out our way, so we’re just trying to come back here and make it right.”
Saint Francis is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance, first since 1991.
The Red Flashes face Alabama State (19-15) in a matchup of No. 16 seeds on Tuesday night. The Hornets’ last tournament appearance was in 2011. The winner will face No. 1 overall seed Auburn on Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky.
Teams with losing records entering the NCAA Tournament have gone 0-18.
Deep threat
No. 16 seeds American (22-12) and Mount St. Mary’s (22-12) meet in Dayton on Wednesday night, with the winner earning a date with No. 1 seed Duke in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday.
The player to watch for American is 6-foot-9 Matt Rogers, who leads the team with 59 3-pointers. His 1.7 made 3s per game ranked 12th in the Patriot League.
Dola Adebayo leads Mount St. Mary’s with 13.2 points per game. The Mountaineers averaged more than 70 points per game and shot 34% from 3-point range this season.
The two Washington D.C. area programs have a long history. This will be the 71st meeting between the schools. American leads the series 37-33, including four straight wins entering Wednesday.