COLUMBUS, Ohio _ When North Carolina got on a roll in the second half of its game against No. 9 seeded Washington, it was hard to stop them.
The Tar Heels led by eight points at halftime but went on a 13-3 run at the start of the second half to take an 18-point lead. Senior forward Luke Maye was a big part of that surge, as was freshman forward Nassir Little as UNC rolled to an 81-59 victory.
Maye finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, his 15th double-double of the season. Little had 20 points and 7 rebounds.
The Tar Heels will advance to the Sweet 16 in Kansas City, Mo., where they will face No. 5 seeded Auburn. Auburn beat No. 4 seeded Kansas 89-75 in the second round on Saturday.
North Carolina (29-6) is 23-9 in second-round games since the tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, and 4-3 in the second round in the last seven seasons.
North Carolina has made it to the Sweet 16 in 10 of 15 years with Williams as head coach.
The Tar Heels won their first-round game against Iona 88-73, but struggled in the first half. They trailed by five points at halftime before coming on strong in the second half.
Washington (27-9), which won the Pac-12 regular season title, was athletic and quick, but couldn't keep up with the top-seeded Tar Heels on Sunday.
The Tar Heels got off to a fast start, leading 31-18 after 11 minutes of play. White, who had only 10 points in North Carolina's first-round game against Iona, found his shooting stroke. He hit four of his first five shots, including a step-back 3-pointer from the right wing. All four of his makes were 3-pointers and he had 12 points at halftime.
Maye was also efficient. He led the Tar Heels with 13 points and had eight rebounds at halftime.
Washington didn't waver in the first half. The Huskies' defense improved as the game wore on. They forced the Tar Heels into 10 first-half turnovers and ended the half on a 13-7 run to cut the Tar Heels' lead to eight points at halftime.
For the second consecutive game, when the buzzer sounded to end the first half, Roy Williams looked visibly frustrated as he walked back in the tunnel.
But that was as bad as it would get for UNC.
After Washington senior guard David Crisp hit a 3-pointer to open the second half, North Carolina went on a 13-0 run over the next six minutes of the game. Maye dominated in the post and the middle of Washington's zone defense. At that point, the Tar Heels grabbed a 52-36 lead.
The Huskies scored only 26 points in the second half.
Senior guard Kenny Williams suffered a left hamstring injury 12 seconds into the second half after coming up with a steal. He went back to the locker room but returned to the game midway through the second half. The Tar Heel fans in Nationwide Arena gave him a standing ovation.
When Williams returned, the Tar Heel continued to add to the lead. A Cameron Johnson 3-pointer with 6:37 remaining extended the Tar Heels' lead to 19 points and iced the game.
Four players scored in double figures Sunday. Freshman Coby White had 17 points and 6 rebounds. Johnson finished with 13 points and 7 assists.
When Roy Williams joined his team in the locker rooms after the game, he said a few words, then went to the white board. He drew a box, and after asking his team to divide 32 by two, he wrote a 16 on the board to signify they were one of the final 16 teams left in the NCAA Tournament field.
The players jumped up and down and celebrated. After a heartbreaking loss in the second round last year, they were back in the Sweet 16.
"To lose that way and to have Joel (Berry) and Theo (Pinson) go out like that was really hard, especially for the guys who felt like it was on us, Maye said. "And, I mean, I feel like it's just a testament to how hard we worked and get back to the spot."
