NCAA Tournament: UNC Routs Marquette, 81-63, In Sweet 16

North Carolina has advanced to the Elite 8 of the East Region of the NCAA bracket in dominating fashion. The Tar Heels jumped ahead of Marquette early and often, building a 40-15 halftime lead and eventually winning 81-63 in a game that was probably not that close.

The Tar Heels led by as many as 32 points early in the second half, as Marquette was unable to hit anything early on. After shooting just 20 percent in the first half with 12 turnovers, Marquette made a bit of a rally late, cutting the lead to 14 at one point, but it was too little too late.

So far, not so good for Marquette’s efforts to upset North Carolina in the Sweet 16. The Golden Eagles went nearly nine minutes without a field goal and trail the Tar Heels by a staggering score of 40-15.

The Golden Eagles scored to take a 10-8 lead with 12:43 remaining, and did not score until the 3:56 mark. The Tar Heels exploded for 19 straight points, then finished the half on a 32-5 run. Marquette shot just 20 percent from the field, hitting only six field goals in all, and threw in 12 turnovers for good measure, all against a team not known for its defense.

At the bottom of the East Region 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket, North Carolina got a gift: Marquette’s upset of Syracuse robbed the Tar Heels of their most imposing possible foe in Newark, and put another team with a much less athletic roster on Carolina’s slate. North Carolina vs. Marquette will tip at 7:15 p.m. Friday from Newark on CBS, according to the 2011 NCAA Tournament schedule, and announcers Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg will have the call.

Star Watch: If Marshall takes care of the ball, North Carolina should win. That’s not that tall a task for the freshman, who has a very healthy 4:1 assist-turnover ratio in this NCAA Tournament so far.