UNC tops defending champ Baylor in OT after Bears rally

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — RJ Davis scored a career-high 30 points with a nifty layup while being fouled in overtime, and eighth-seeded North Carolina blew a 25-point second-half lead but still found a way to beat defending champion Baylor 93-86 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

Brady Manek had a season-high 26 points before getting ejected because of a flagrant foul midway through the second half, right after his 3-pointer had given the Tar Heels (26-9) their largest lead.

A year after going out in the first round of the tourney in retiring coach Roy Williams’ final game, Davis, Armando Bacot and these Tar Heels (26-9) are headed to Philadelphia and a Sweet 16 for first-year coach Hubert Davis.

Davis, who had five 3-pointers in regulation, got his only points in overtime on the off-balance layup with 1:18 left and added the free throw for a 91-85 lead.

Adam Flagler had 27 points for East Region No. 1 seed Baylor (27-7), which was 1-of-11 shooting in overtime. James Akinjo had 20 points while Jeremy Sochan had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

All-Atlantic Coast Conference power forward Bacot had 15 points and 16 rebounds for North Carolina.

SOUTH REGION

MICHIGAN 76, TENNESSEE 68

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Eli Brooks put Michigan ahead for good with a three-point play and delivered four critical points in the final minute, and the 11th-seeded Wolverines beat No. 3 seed Tennessee to book the most surprising of their five straight trips to the Sweet 16.

Brooks finished with 23 points, including a looping, improvised hook shot and two free throws as the Wolverines (19-14) put away the Volunteers, who had a six-point lead with 8 1/2 minutes left but then went four minutes without scoring.

Big man Hunter Dickinson had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolverines, whose five straight Sweet 16 appearances are the most in Division I. Gonzaga is the only other team to make it four straight times.

Michigan will face either second-seeded Villanova or longtime rival Ohio State, the No. 7 seed, in Thursday’s South Region semifinals in San Antonio, Texas.

Kennedy Chandler had 19 points and Josiah-Jordan James had 13 for Tennessee (27-8), which had a seven-game winning streak snapped.

MIDWEST REGION

KANSAS 79, CREIGHTON 72

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Remy Martin scored 20 points, Ochai Agbaji put Kansas ahead for good with his first basket early in the second half, and the Jayhawks held off Creighton to advance to the Sweet 16.

Martin hadn’t led top-seeded Kansas (30-6) in scoring all season as the fifth-year senior transfer from Arizona State battled a sore knee, but he’s done it in both NCAA Tournament games. Kansas will face fourth-seeded Providence in the regional semifinals in Chicago.

The short-handed Bluejays (23-12) stayed close with an uncharacteristically hot showing from 3-point range. One of the worst teams in the country from beyond the arc, ninth-seeded Creighton went 12 of 28.

Arthur Kaluma scored 24 points, going 4 of 10 from long range for the Bluejays.

PROVIDENCE 79, RICHMOND 51

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Noah Horchler scored 16 points and Providence had its best 3-point shooting performance of the season, routing Richmond to reach its first Sweet 16 in 25 years.

The fourth-seeded Friars (27-5) looked like a juggernaut against the Spiders, posting the most lopsided NCAA Tournament victory in program history.

Providence controlled the game from the start and went up 21 on Richmond (24-13) less than two minutes into the second half when Horchler swished a 3 from the corner. The Friars shot 52% from the field, and a season-best 54.5% from 3. They came in shooting 34.3% from long range.

Nathan Cayo led the Spiders with 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

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