Not many expected Texas A&M to upset North Carolina on Sunday, but don’t tell that to CBS Sports analyst Clark Kellogg. The former Ohio State and NBA basketball player predicted the Aggies would be a dangerous team come March.
Despite being heavily favored, the second-seeded Tar Heels were no match for the seventh-seeded Aggies who led from start to finish.
Freshman guard T.J. Starks scored a game-high 21 points as Texas A&M overpowered North Carolina inside to take down the reigning national champions, 86-65, to advance to the Sweet 16.
Sunday’s game marked the second consecutive year that the former national champion missed the Sweet 16 after Villanova fell last year.
The Aggies (22-12) played nearly a perfect game as they controlled the game right from the start to hand the Tar Heels a rare loss in its home state in an NCAA game. Texas A&M outrebounded the Tar Heels 50-36 and used their size to control the paint along with a game-high eight blocked shots.
Joel Berry II scored a team-high 21 points in the loss for North Carolina. The second-seeded Tar Heels (26-11) were trying to reach their third straight Final Four. UNC had won 12 of its 13 NCAA Tournament games dating to its 2016 finals run before Sunday.
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Shooting woes killed the Tar Heels who shot just 33 percent, including 6 of 31 (.194) from beyond the arc. North Carolina came in shooting nearly 37 percent from downtown but couldn’t get anything to go Sunday night.
The loss, was on the same court where 16th-ranked UMBC made tournament history by becoming the first No. 16 seed to beat the top-seeded Virginia Cavaliers.
However, the Aggies, who climbed as high as No. 5 in the AP Poll earlier in the season, is moving on to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons.
Despite the pressure to make another Final Four run and with two wins against rival Duke and a trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game, Sunday’s loss left many speechless after the game.
