CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WNCN) — The Tar Heels cruised through the first round, knocking out Wagner with a 90-62 victory Thursday afternoon.
Armando Bacot had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and No. 1 seed North Carolina never trailed in beating 16th-seeded Wagner Thursday.
UNC Chapel Hill’s men’s basketball team will now be taking on 9-seed Michigan State on Saturday. At the final buzzer earlier Thursday, the Mississippi State Bulldogs fell to the Spartans with an 18-point deficit and final score of 69-51.
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North Carolina forward Jae’Lyn Withers shoots over Wagner forward Keyontae Lewis (32) during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) -
North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis speaks during the first half of a first-round college basketball game against Wagner in that NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Wagner forward Keyontae Lewis (32) drives against North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram (55) during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in that NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Wagner guard Melvin Council Jr. (11) moves the ball against North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram (55) during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in that NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram (55) grabs a rebound away from Wagner forward Tyje Kelton (4) during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in that NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
North Carolina forward Armando Bacot (5) reacts to being fouled while making the basket against Wagner during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in that NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
North Carolina forward Jae’Lyn Withers shoots against Wagner during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Jae’Lyn Withers had a season-high 16 points and matched his best rebounding work with 10 boards for the West Region’s headliner. That helped the Tar Heels (28-7) finish the game shooting 55% while dominating up front against a short-handed upstart aiming to pull off only the third opening-round takedown of a 1-seed in March Madness history.
RJ Davis, named this week as a first-team All-American by The Associated Press, had 17 of his 22 points after halftime for the Tar Heels.
UNC also played with the backing of a blue-clad crowd about 2 1/2 hours from its Chapel Hill campus. And the Tar Heels will have that again for the next step: a marquee matchup with Michigan State and Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo on Saturday.
The Tar Heels dominated this one inside, finishing with 48 points in the paint and a 43-24 rebounding advantage to go with 17 second-chance points.
Melvin Council Jr. and Julian Brown each scored 18 points for the Seahawks (17-16), who won their first-ever NCAA game by holding off Howard in the First Four on Tuesday night. Wagner shot 39.7% for the game.
UNC had the clear edge inside against a team with only seven available scholarship players and only one — 6-foot-9, 255-pound Keyontae Lewis — offering any notable size. By halftime, the 6-10 Bacot had a double-double after getting multiple deep-block touches while the 6-9 Withers showed plenty of energy in the paint by tallying his first double-digit scoring output since Jan. 17.
The Tar Heels gradually stretched that lead out after the break. That included Davis and Harrison Ingram hitting back-to-back 3-pointers, followed shortly by an alley-oop dunk in transition from Elliot Cadeau to a high-flying Withers for a 70-50 lead with 8:33 left.
The next Triangle-based team to hit the court will be the NC State Wolfpack. Tune into CBS 17 for their matchup against Texas Tech. Tipoff is set for 9:40 p.m. Thursday night.