March Madness 2022: North Carolina routs Marquette in Hubert Davis' NCAA Tournament coaching debut

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Hubert Davis was quick to point out the first NCAA Tournament victory for Caleb Love and other North Carolina players.

The Tar Heels coach was less interested in what it meant to win his tournament debut for a storied program that also is his alma mater.

Brady Manek scored 28 points and Love needed just 19 minutes to tie Carolina's single-game tournament record of six 3-pointers in a 95-63 rout of Marquette on Thursday, the biggest blowout in a matchup of 8-9 seeds in tournament history.

Love scored 21 of his 23 points before halftime as the eighth-seeded Tar Heels (25-9) built a 28-point lead. They play defending national champion Baylor on Saturday.

The win was in stark contrast to last year, when the Tar Heels sent Roy Williams into retirement with his only opening-round loss in 30 NCAA appearances.

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North Carolina guard Caleb Love (2) reacts to scoring, in front of Marquette forward Justin Lewis during the first half of a college basketball game in the first round of the NCAA men's tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday, March 17, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

"Honestly, it really doesn’t mean anything to me personally," said Davis, a player from 1988-92. "When I see Caleb and Brady and Armando (Bacot) playing well like they did today, I know all the hard work that was put in during the summer and late nights, early in the mornings. It’s almost like a father. I’ve got three kids, and it’s a feeling of just being proud."

Shaka Smart’s return to Texas was a dud a year after he took the Marquette job amid questions about his future as coach of the Texas Longhorns following a shocking