CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Wagner College had a magical postseason run these last few weeks, winning the Northeast Conference Tournament and recording the program’s first NCAA Tournament win.
But it takes more than magic to beat a team as good as North Carolina.
The Tar Heels (28-7) used their superior size and depth to hand the Seahawks a 90-62 defeat in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday at the Spectrum Center.
North Carolina, the No. 1 seed in the West Region, moves on to face Michigan State in the second round here Saturday.
Wagner (17-16) heads home after an improbable run in which it won three road games in the NEC Tournament to get the league’s automatic NCAA bid, then won a thrilling game against Howard Tuesday night in Dayton in the NCAA’s First Four to earn Thursday’s matchup with the Heels.
They did all of that at the end of an injury-plagued season in which they played with just seven scholarship athletes from late December to the end.
“I was happy for them to be able to compete in this, and I was really proud the way they competed,” Seahawks coach Donald Copeland said. “Obviously what we’ve gone through all year (with the injuries and short roster) isn’t ideal, but we expected to play well. We expected to win the game. Obviously, we didn’t. But I’m glad the way we played.”
NCAA Wagner North Carolina Basketball
Wagner guard Julian Brown (13) grimaces during the second half of a first-round college basketball game in that NCAA Tournament against North Carolina, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)Mike Stewart
First-team AP All American guard RJ Davis led UNC yesterday with 22 points, 17 after halftime, and powerful 6-foot-11 inside force Armando Bacot racked up 20 points and 15 rebounds. Cormac Ryan chimed in with 13, but the extra sauce for the Heels came from reserve 6-9 senior forward Jae’Lyn Withers, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Melvin Council Jr. and Julian Brown had 18 points apiece for…
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