NCAA Tournament: North Carolina Survives Washington, 86-83

If you wanted excitement from North Carolina and Washington, you got it: only a failed attempt to get a buzzer-beating game-tying shot from Isaiah Thomas allowed the Tar Heels to escape a fierce Huskies team that ran with them all day with an 86-83 victory that will allow Carolina to advance to a Sweet Sixteen matchup in Newark.

Tyler Zeller’s 23 points led all scorers, and Harrison Barnes added 22, but Kendall Marshall’s 13 points and 14 assists — a new record for a Tar Heel in an NCAA Tournament game — paced the Heels, who recovered from a slow start in the first half to score just enough to keep a small lead throughout the second period.

The 2011 NCAA Tournament third-round game between No. 2 North Carolina and No. 7 Washington was expected to be fast-paced, and so far, it hasn’t disappointed. Washington took an early lead, but North Carolina has rallied to cut the Huskies’ lead to 45-44 at halftime. The winner advances to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA bracket.

Washington took a 26-15 lead with just under 11 minutes to go in the first half, but the Tar Heels rallied with a 13-4 run to get back into the game. Harrison Barnes leads all scorers with 14 points, while Tyler Zeller added 12 to account for most of North Carolina’s scoring. Terrence Ross has 12 points off the bench to lead Washington. Isaiah Thomas has struggled thus far, shooting just 2-8 for four points.

Ready for a run and gun matchup in the 2011 NCAA Tournament Bracket? You’ll love North Carolina vs. Washington. It’s the bottom of the East Region and the first game on the Sunday portion of the 2011 NCAA Tournament schedule, tipping off from Charlotte at 12:15 p.m. Eastern with Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg on the call.

Prediction: North Carolina’s offensive arsenal is too deep for the Huskies to match, and the Tar Heels move on to Newark with an 84-71 win.