North Carolina defeats top seed Baylor in March Madness upset

Another upset took place in the second round of March Madness, as eighth-seeded North Carolina took down defending champion Baylor, the first number one seed ousted from the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

The Tar Heels managed the 93-86 victory in overtime despite blowing a 25-point lead and losing two of their best players in the second half.

Tar Heels get act together in overtime

Freshman guard R.J. Davis was a key player in fending off a Baylor rally. He scored a career-high 30 points, sinking five three-pointers in regulation. He made the most crucial basket of the match, scoring his only points in overtime with a three-point play that lifted North Carolina to a 91-85 lead.

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Senior Brady Manek gave 26 points before getting booted out of the game for a flagrant foul in the second half, while All-Atlantic Coast Conference forward Armando Bacot contributed 15 points and 16 rebounds.

On the Baylor side, junior Adam Flagler delivered 27 points, senior James Akinjo brought in 20, while freshman Jeremy Sochan tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Marred by bad calls

The game was thought to have spotty officiating, with college basketball pundits taking to Twitter to say that the referees seemed to favor the defending champions.

This is the third time that North Carolina has brought down a top seed as an eight-seed. Baylor meanwhile was handed its second second-round loss in the last three NCAA tournaments.

With the reigning champion and second-seeded Kentucky both exiting the East region early, North Carolina is now a serious contender in the race to the Final Four.

They will face either UCLA or Saint Mary’s in the Sweet 16. If they eventually emerge as the NCAA champions, they will be only the second team to win as a number eight seed, which still stands as the lowest seed to ever win March Madness.