Instant classic? UNC withstands ejection, huge Baylor rally to oust 1-seed
The NCAA Men's Tournament started off with a bang on Saturday morning, producing a wild contest that featured a controversial ejection, a 25-point comeback in 10 minutes, and enough momentum swings to make your head spin.
The end result was a 93-86 overtime victory for North Carolina that ended Baylor's attempted title defense. The Bears are the first 1-seed to be ousted from the Big Dance, while the 8-seed Tar Heels march on to the Sweet 16.
But that doesn't do justice to the drama that unfolded in a classic contest.
North Carolina had the Bears on their heels through most of the game, building a 42-29 lead by halftime.
The Heels' advantage grew to 25 points midway through the second half on a 3-pointer by Brady Manek.
But moments later, Manek, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma, was caught throwing an elbow at the face of Baylor's Jeremy Sochan and was ejected from the game with 10:08 remaining.
The loss of Manek was not only crucial for North Carolina — he had 26 points to that point — but it also lit a fire in the Bears, who proceeded to go on a 9-0 run.
The Bears eventually battled all the way back, tying it at 80-80 on an and-one bucket by James Akinjo with 15.8 seconds left.
The Bears' 25-point comeback would have been tied for the largest rally in the history of the NCAA Men's Tournament, matched only by BYU against Iona in the 2012 First Four, and topping Duke's 22-point rally vs. Maryland in the 2001 First Four.
But North Carolina regrouped in overtime, while Baylor's tank hit empty, and the Bears were outscored 13-6 in the extra period.
RJ Davis scored a career-high 30 points, including a nifty layup while being fouled in overtime, to help UNC overcome Manek's ejection.
A year after going out in the first round of the tourney in retiring coach Roy Williams’ final game, the Tar Heels (26-9) are going to the Sweet 16 under first-year coach Hubert Davis, facing the winner of Saturday's contest between UCLA and Saint Mary's.
Davis praised his squad after the game, saying: "We've been in this situation before all season, and they've come through. This is a group of toughness, resiliency, and I'm so proud of them."
Adam Flagler had 27 points for Baylor (27-7), which made only one field goal in overtime. Akinjo had 20 points while Sochan had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
All-ACC power forward Armando Bacot had 15 points and 16 rebounds for North Carolina. After missing three of four free throws in the final 38 seconds of regulation, he made three of five in overtime.
The Tar Heels won as No. 8 seed over a top seed for the third time. They did so on the way to the Final Four in 2000, 10 years after beating top-seeded Oklahoma when Davis was a player for Dean Smith.
Baylor lost in the second round for the second time in the last three NCAA tourneys.
There was plenty of reaction to the edge-of-the-seat contest, even while the tournament action marched on. Here is a sampling:
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
