Philadelphia fans didn’t get that classic showdown between two NCAA bluebloods that many had hoped to see.
But they did get to watch an absolute show from the No. 1 seed.
Paced by ridiculous 55 percent shooting from three-point range and 51.6 percent shooting from the field, top-seeded North Carolina rolled to a 101-86 win over fifth-seeded Indiana in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
How remarkable was the offensive explosion? The Tar Heels came into the game ranked 308th in the nation in three-point shooting.
The red-hot Heels now move on to play Notre Dame — which edged Wisconsin 61-56 in the opener of the South Philly doubleheader — in the Elite Eight on Sunday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Before the Heels and Irish meet with that coveted trip to the Final Four on the line, here’s a closer look at the nightcap of Friday’s festivities.
Best performance
Marcus Paige set the tone early on, hitting four — four! — three-pointers in the first five minutes of the game. The UNC standout, who’s had something of an uneven senior season, was on pace for nearly 100 points at that point, before slightly cooling down and finishing with a team-high 21 points on 6 for 9 shooting from behind the arc.
But it’s fair to say the Hoosiers never recovered from the early onslaught from Paige, who’s looking to end his college career on a serious high note.
Best player
Speaking of college careers ending, much respect to Yogi Ferrell. Time and again, the Indiana senior star tried to keep his team in the game, hitting some big three-pointers on a few different occasions.
He finished with game-high 25 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough to take the headlines away from Paige, the fellow senior star that matched up against him in a much-hyped battle.
Best player not named Yogi
There were plenty of other great performances with UNC star Brice Johnson recording his 22nd double-double of the season — tying a program single-season record — with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Kennedy Meeks (15 points), Justin Jackson (14 points), Joel Berry II (14 points) also hit double figures for the Heels.
Perhaps the most impressive performance was from Indiana’s Troy Williams, who finished with 21 points after only scoring one point in the first half.
Best play
The Tar Heels were more brutally efficient than they were flashy, but a second-half Brice Johnson alley-oop was particularly nice, as was a clever first-half scoop shot from Nate Britt.
Best stat
Paige passed some guy named Michael Jordan to move into 12th on the all-time UNC scoring list with his six threes, which matched an NCAA Tournament program record.
The 101 points were also the most UNC ever scored in the Sweet 16 and the only time a team passed the century mark in scoring in this year's Big Dance.
Best March Moment
When he was pulled out of the game in the final minute, a dejected Ferrell looked like the only thing he wanted to do was go to the bench and pull a towel on his head. But Indiana head coach Tom Crean made sure to grab him — and fellow senior Max Bielfeldt — for a long hug and heartfelt talk before he got there.
Ferrell didn’t want to elaborate what was said afterwards but Bielfeldt described it as “a lot of love, a lot of thanks.”
Later, during the final seconds of the game, the Indiana fans filled the Wells Fargo Center with “Yogi Ferrell” chants — a fitting final tribute to a great college basketball player. Paige also gave him a subtle pat on the back when he exited and Roy Williams talked with him for a while on the handshake line.
“Yogi is leaving here as one of the great winners,” Crean said. “There’s no way anyone will ever take that away from him."
Biggest turning point
After Ferrell tied the game at 8-8 with a three, Paige responded with his third and fourth threes of the game to put the Tar Heels up by six.
They would never trail again. And the game was never particularly close again.
Best quote (winning team)
“Marcus passed Michael Jordan on the North Carolina scoring list. That’s pretty neat. He said, ‘Well coach, he only played three years.’ I said, ‘Shut up. You’re name’s going to be ahead of Michael Jordan’s in something. Just take that and appreciate it.’” — North Carolina head coach Roy Williams
Best quote (losing team)
“Marcus was making video game shots to start the game. I mean, seriously. He’s a tremendous player. Roy, I’m sure, feels about him the way I feel about Yogi.” — Indiana head coach Tom Crean
Best fans
Both groups of supporters of the storied programs filled their sections and were as loud as you’d expect. The North Carolina fans, though, had more to cheer about, so it made sense that they were on the feet for longer.
Plus, one young UNC fan had a unique celebration when he danced for the cameras with another fan hiding inside the back of his shirt.
Best pair of famous football-coaching brothers cheering for Indiana
That probably goes to Jim and John Harbaugh, who were decked out in Hoosier gear to support Tom Crean, their brother-in-law.
Best mascot
By default, this goes to UNC’s Ramses the Ram since Indiana doesn’t have a mascot. Ramses also scored extra points by high-fiving members of the media in the tunnel after the game.
Best band
Indiana’s focused more on 90s music with some Green Day and Blink 182 songs while UNC went earlier with a little bit of Kansas, Neil Diamond and Earth, Wind & Fire, so it really depends on your taste.
The UNC band really, really likes to dance, though.
Best Philly connection
One of Philly’s favorite sons, Rasheed Wallace, was in the house cheering on North Carolina, his alma mater. Before his great career at UNC and in the NBA, ’Sheed was a Philadelphia Public League star at Simon Gratz.
Wayne Ellington, who played on the same court recently for the Brooklyn Nets, was another Philly native on hand to root for his old UNC team.