The No. 8 seed UNC Tar Heels have advanced to the Elite Eight after they defeated the No. 4 seed UCLA Bruins, 73-66.
In the Round of 32, the No. 8 UNC Tar Heels blew a 25-point lead in the second half to the No. 1 Baylor Bears. This very team is now headed to the Elite Eight.
On Friday night, the Tar Heels defeated the No. 4 UCLA Bruins 73-66 to get out of the Sweet 16. With that win, North Carolina fans hopes of having the chance to take on the rival Duke Blue Devils in the Final Four are still very much alive.
The hero for the Tar Heels was sophomore guard Caleb Love. After only scoring three points in the first half, Love dropped 27 in the final 20 minutes of regulation. Love was responsible for the three-point shot to tie the game at 64 points apiece with under two minutes remaining, and the shot behind the arc to give the Tar Heels a 67-64 lead with over a minute remaining.
Love scored his 30 points by shooting 11-for-24 from the field and 6-for-15 from the three-point line. He also recorded four assists and three rebounds. Junior forward Armando Bacot dropped 14 points (6-for-10 from the field) and hauled in 15 rebounds.
Bruins senior guard Jules Benard recorded a team high 16 points (7-for-11 from the field).
Who does UNC play next in NCAA Tournament?
The Tar Heels will take on the No. 15 Saint Peter’s Peacocks on Sunday, March 27 in the Elite Eight.
This is the very Peacocks team that went on a thrilling Cinderella run, after defeating the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats in the opening round and the No. 7 Murray State Racers in the second round. Earlier Friday night, Saint Peter’s pulled off the upset 67-64 win over the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers.
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