North Carolina Rebounds, Advances To The Second Of The NCAA Tournament With Win Over Iona
After losing in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Championship last weekend North Carolina got back in the win column in the first round of NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round in Midwest Region.
North Carolina completed a perfect first round for top seeds in this NCAA Tournament, but not before Iona became the latest No. 16 seed to show these matchups are no sure thing. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/3/22/mens-basketball-ncaa-first-round-vs-iona.aspx?path=mbball
Cameron Johnson scored 21 points, and North Carolina quickly erased a five-point halftime deficit to hot-shooting Iona, going on to win 88-73 on Friday night. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/3/22/mens-basketball-ncaa-first-round-vs-iona.aspx?path=mbball
The Tar Heels (28-6), who came into the tournament as a top seed for a record 17th time, advanced to play Washington in the second round of the Midwest Region on Sunday. They're hoping to reach their 11th Final Four. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/3/22/mens-basketball-ncaa-first-round-vs-iona.aspx?path=mbball
Much like Gardner-Webb did earlier Friday against No. 1 seed Virginia — which last year became the first top seed to lose in the first round — Iona surprised the Tar Heels early with their energy and outside shooting. Ricky McGill made all four of his 3-point attempts in the opening half as the Gaels (17-16) led by as many as eight and took a 38-33 lead into halftime. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/3/22/mens-basketball-ncaa-first-round-vs-iona.aspx?path=mbball
Iona's advantage disappeared quickly. Johnson's 3-pointer and Luke Maye's jumper tied it 39 seconds into the second half, and an 18-4 run put North Carolina back on track. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/3/22/mens-basketball-ncaa-first-round-vs-iona.aspx?path=mbball
The bigger and stronger Tar Heels dominated the boards, outrebounding Iona 52-26 and getting 25 second-chance points. After shooting 44.3 percent the first half, they hit 63 percent in the second and led by as many as 20 points. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/3/22/mens-basketball-ncaa-first-round-vs-iona.aspx?path=mbball
McGill finished with 26 points, including 7-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion Gaels, who are one-and-done in the tournament for the fourth straight season. They're still seeking their first NCAA win after 13 trips. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/3/22/mens-basketball-ncaa-first-round-vs-iona.aspx?path=mbball
Asante Gist had 17 points and Andrija Ristanovic scored 11 for Iona. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/3/22/mens-basketball-ncaa-first-round-vs-iona.aspx?path=mbball
Nassir Little added 19 points for UNC. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/3/22/mens-basketball-ncaa-first-round-vs-iona.aspx?path=mbball
With the win, North Carolina out of the Atlantic Coast Conference advances to the second round where they will take on Washington who is a member of the PAC -12.