UNC blows 25-point lead, still beats No. 1 Baylor in OT

Tar Heels guard R.J. Davis put North Carolina on his back with 30 points, six assists and five rebounds. Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

North Carolina blows 25-point lead, still beats top-seeded Baylor in overtime

By Adam Stites | Last updated 3/19/22

The defending champion Baylor Bears are out of the 2022 NCAA Tournament after losing to the eighth-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday, 93-86.

Baylor is the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated, despite pulling off an incredible comeback to force overtime. Facing a 25-point deficit, the Bears climbed all the way back and tied the game with 15 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. If Baylor had managed to win, it would've tied the record for the largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history.

But North Carolina rallied and outscored Baylor, 13-6, in overtime to advance to the Sweet 16.

The turning point in the second half was a flagrant two called on North Carolina's Brady Manek, who left the game with 26 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Brady Manek got ejected for this elbow

Manek had 26 points prior to his ejectionpic.twitter.com/ggNHNJ27M5
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) March 19, 2022

With Manek out of action, Baylor immediately scored 11 straight points in less than two minutes to cut the Tar Heels' lead to 14. The Bears continued to chip away and force turnovers, while North Carolina did them favors by missing several shots, including three of four free-throw attempts in the final minute of regulation.

North Carolina guard R.J. Davis came up big in overtime to lead the Tar Heels to a win and finished with 30 points, six assists and five rebounds.

The Tar Heels advance to face the winner of St. Mary's and UCLA.

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