KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ It wasn't supposed to end this way for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
After earning a No. 1 seed for the third time in four years, the Tar Heels expected to beat No. 5 seed Auburn and compete for a national championship. The Tar Heels were 8-1 in Sweet 16 games under Roy Williams coming into Friday's game.
But Auburn, one of the hottest teams in college basketball, had other plans. The Tigers outplayed the Tar Heels in the second half, at one point taking a 19-point lead. They hit four consecutive 3-pointers, including three from Danjel Purifoy, and never looked back, winning 97-80 and ending the Tar Heels' dreams at a seventh national championship in program history.
With the game out of reach, North Carolina senior Kenny Williams was pulled from the game. He was in tears and buried his face in a towel. It was his final game.
Now Auburn, winners of 11 consecutive games, are heading to the Elite Eight and will play the winner of No. 2 seed Kentucky and No. 3 seed Houston in the Midwest Regional. It is their first trip to the Elite Eight since 1986.
The Tar Heels' season ends at 29-7.
Roy Williams is now 8-2 in the Sweet 16 at North Carolina, and 13-6 overall at both Kansas and UNC. North Carolina is 21-8 in the Sweet 16.
The Tar Heels were one of the hottest teams in college basketball entering the NCAA Tournament. They had won 17 of their last 19 games coming to Friday's game.
But Auburn was the better team, beating the Tar Heels at their own game, getting after loose rebounds and scoring on fast break opportunities.
Freshman Coby White and graduate senior Cam Johnson finished the game with 15 points each. Senior forward Luke Maye, in his final game, had 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Tar Heels had a five-point lead with 3:27 left in the first half. But they started to get sloppy, and the Tigers took advantage. They ended the half on a 6-0 run to take a two-point lead at halftime.
The Tigers continued their run at the start of the second half and took a 12-point lead after the first five minutes.
After that, the Tar Heels never got closer than seven points. Auburn was just too good. The Tigers, who dominated Kansas in the second round last week, caught fire from 3 in the second half. They finished the game 17 of 37 from the 3-point line, which broke a record for most 3s against the Tar Heels under Roy Williams.
As North Carolina watched Auburn pull away from the game, Kenny Williams and Cam Johnson stood in disbelief on the bench. They hugged their teammates as they came off the court.
It was over.
