From the moment North Carolina lost to Duke in Friday's ACC tournament semifinal, anxiety began to build, just as it would for any NCAA tournament bubble team. Would the Tar Heels make the field or fall short,

The Tar Heels were a controversial selection for the NCAA Tournament, and they played like a team with something to prove.

Sort of like San Diego State’s basketball team in the same city 147 years later. Hit its ceiling. And crashed. The team that began the season by losing all-conference guard Reese Waters for its entirety and instead stuttered along with one of college basketball’s youngest rotations that included six freshmen or sophomores experienced the power of gravity Tuesday night in the NCAA Tournament’s First Four,