No. 1 seed UNC trails Auburn 41-39 at halftime in the Sweet Sixteen
Posted March 29, 2019 8:18 p.m. EDT
Updated March 29, 2019 8:23 p.m. EDT
Kansas City, Mo. — No. 1 seed North Carolina trails No. 5 seed Auburn 41-39 at halftime in the Sweet Sixteen.
The Tigers took the lead on J'Von McCormick's layup at the halftime buzzer and closed the half on a 10-3 run.
This matchup was expected to be a high-possession frantic pace, and so far, it has delivered on that promise.
The Tar Heels used an 11-2 run late in the half to take a 33-28 advantage.
Coby White leads Carolina with nine points.
Auburn is relying heavily on its 3-point shooting, going 5-for-19 from beyond the arc. The Tigers came into the game leading the NCAA Tournament from 3-point range, shooting 37.8 percent this postseason.
The Tar Heels have made five of 15 3-point shots and are shooting 43.8 percent from the field.
UNC point guard Coby White narrowly avoided an injury with 5:13 left in the half when he appeared to roll his ankle after stepping on a defender's foot.
UNC freshman Nassir Little came off the bench at the 13:25 mark and has four points. Little has been dealing with flu-like symptoms and missed practice Thursday. He scored 39 points in 38 minutes in the first two NCAA Tournament games.
The winner of this game will advance to the Elite Eight on Sunday and face the winner of tonight's game between No. 2 seed Kentucky and No. 3 seed Houston.
