MILWAUKEE — The question of which team sixth-seeded Ole Miss would face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament South Region on Friday was emphatically answered by North Carolina.
The 11th-seeded Tar Heels (23-13), whose spot in the tournament was roundly questioned, advanced with a 95-68 rout of San Diego State in a First Four matchup Tuesday behind 26 points from RJ Davis. It was North Carolina’s ninth win in its last 11 games.
“We’re getting better,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said afterward. “And over the last month and half, two months, we’ve just gotten better and better. And it’s coming at the right time.”
Ole Miss (22-11) lost to Auburn 62-57 in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament. Their No. 6 seed is the highest since the Rebels were a No. 3 in 2001, when they advanced to the Sweet 16. The Rebels are making their 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since a 95-72 first-round loss to Oklahoma in 2019.
Ole Miss has been inconsistent but has victories over Alabama and Tennessee — both No. 2 seeds. The Rebels average 77.2 points per game, allowing 71.7. Ole Miss is 10-2 when scoring 80 points or more.
“An interesting thing about our resume; you know we didn’t lose a game this year to a team that’s not in the NCAA Tournament,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said Monday.
Sean Pedulla averages 14.9 points, including a team-high 78 3-pointers, to pace a balanced attack. Five other players average at least 10.0 points per game.
Malik Dia is the leading rebounder with 5.7 per game, but the Rebels have been outrebounded by 4.7 per contest.
Mississippi is the fourth program Beard has taken to the NCAA Tournament. He has never lost a first-round game.
“Every member of our staff has been a part of NCAA Tournament wins and runs,” Beard said. “So just trying to share our knowledge and our experiences with our players. Things as easy as logistics, how the practice times will work, how the kind of neutral crowds are going to feel the first and second rounds.”
Seven of North Carolina’s 13 losses have come against teams that are either No. 1 or No. 2 seeds in the tournament, including three to Duke.
Against San Diego State, Davis hit 8 of 12 shots, including all six attempts from beyond the arc. The 14 3-pointers by the Tar Heels were their most ever in an NCAA Tournament game.
Davis averages 17.3 points with a team-leading 84 3-pointers. Ian Jackson adds 12.3 points and Seth Trimble 11.7.
North Carolina averages 81.2 points and allows 74.8. The Tar Heels are 15-3 when scoring 80 points or more.
“It would be great if we hit 14 threes on Friday. I’ll take that,” Davis said. “But the reason that I consistently tell the team the three boxes we have to check is defense, rebounding, take care of the basketball. Those are the things that travel and those are the things you can take care of.”
The Tar Heels are in the NCAA Tournament for the 54th time, second only to Kentucky.
–By Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media
