DAYTON, Ohio — RJ Davis and his North Carolina teammates certainly looked as though they belonged in the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night.

RJ Davis helped the Tar Heels secure a convincing 95-68 win over San Diego State by scoring 26 points and making all six of his 3-point attempts. This performance played a significant role in silencing critics and doubters during their First Four matchup.

UNC was a controversial NCAA selection on Sunday, but the Tar Heels played like a team with something to prove.

“We know we deserved to be here,” junior guard Seth Trimble said.

NorthCarolina coach Hubert Davis said his players were simply focused on the task at hand.

Hubert Davis expressed that the team wasn’t burdened by the pressure of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. He emphasized the importance of focusing on internal dynamics such as individual and team improvement, rather than external distractions such as comments and criticism.

Some hot shooting from long range didn’t hurt.

RJ Davis’ six 3-pointers tied Caleb Love’s program record for an NCAA Tournament game. Love had six against UCLA in 2022.

Hubert Davis went 5 for 5 from deep against Eastern Michigan in 1991.

Speaking about RJ Davis, Hubert Davis, the head coach, highlighted his vital presence both on the court and on the sidelines. He admitted that he could not envision the team’s dynamics without RJ’s integral contributions.

The 14 made 3-pointers were the most for North Carolina in an NCAA Tournament game.

UNC drained 13 against Marquette in 2022.

“I know that we hit a record number of 3s here, but made shots come and go,” Hubert Davis said. “The thing I was most proud of is we were getting steals and deflections, and I thought our defense was real good.”

Trimble had 16 points for the Tar Heels in a matchup of No. 11 seeds. They advanced to play No. 6 seed Mississippi in a South Region game Friday in Milwaukee.

Nick Boyd and Wayne McKinney III each scored 12 for the Aztecs (21-10).

NorthCarolina shot 61% in the first half and went 7 of 9 from 3-point range. RJ Davis’ long 3 just before the halftime buzzer gave the Tar Heels their largest lead to that point, 47-23.

“I think we did a good job of sticking to our game plan and playing Carolina basketball,” he said. “We got out in transition, we shared the ball.”

NorthCarolina (23-13) seemed a long shot to make the tournament with a 1-12 record in Quadrant 1 games, but was chosen Sunday thanks to a strong nonconference schedule and other metrics.

The Tar Heels were out to show the world they belonged, and San Diego State took the brunt of it.

“Obviously, we wish we’d have given them more of a game,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said. “We hang our hat on our defense, and we couldn’t get stops. We knew we had to play in the 70s to have a chance, and they were up in the 90s.”