RALEIGH, NC – Whatever Roy Williams told his team in the locker room, it clearly had the desired effect, as top-seeded North Carolina answered the bell and withstood everything it could handle from sixteenth-seeded Florida Gulf Coast before pulling away for a hard-earned 83-67 First round victory.
Five Tar Heels scored in double figures, led by senior forward Brice Johnson’s eighteen points and seven rebounds.
Sophomore guard Christian Terrell propelled the Eagles with fifteen points, as “Dunk City” demonstrated they were not just a 2013 “one-hit-wonder”–even pulling within one to close the first half; but their hopes of becoming the first 16-seed to knock off a “1” would be dashed by a 13-3 North Carolina run in the opening two and half minutes of the second period.
John Sadak and John Thompson called the action on Westwood One Sports.