UNC vs. Arkansas: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

No. 4 North Carolina booked a trip to the Sweet 16 on Friday, surviving a heroic effort from No. 5 Arkansas forward Michael Qualls en route to an 87-78 victory.

The Tar Heels utilized a small-ball lineup to devastating effect in the game, keeping the Razorbacks off-kilter with a hectic pace throughout.

Fouls and turnovers doomed Arkansas' fine effort. They coughed up the ball 21 times and let UNC get to the charity stripes a staggering 37 times, with the Tar Heels sinking 29 of those free shots. UNC was also able to score a great deal of points in the paint, with many of those coming on easy transition buckets.

Inside Carolina noted the significance of the win for legendary Tar Heels coach Roy Williams:

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Williams exhorted his team to increase its toughness heading into this game, per The Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports):

"

We've got to turn up our intensity higher than it's been all year long. We've got to turn up our toughness because you're going to be double-teamed, you're going to be triple-teamed, you can't start crying for mama to come help you.

"

His players certainly responded.

The tough loss extended a long Sweet 16 drought for the Razorbacks, per USA Today's Dan Wolken:

Junior guard Marcus Paige was the key player for UNC, as he overcame a 1-of-8 shooting effort in the first half to score 22 total points, with 11 of those coming on a key 13-2 run in the second half.

Qualls finished with 27 points and 10 boards for Arkansas. Forward Bobby Portis proved to be a fine deputy to Qualls in this one, contributing 18 points, 14 boards and five steals.

UNC didn't come out of this game unscathed, as big man Kennedy Meeks suffered an apparent knee sprain late in the game, per the team's official Twitter account:

CBS Sports' Jerry Palm noted UNC had trouble making its shots, but no problem cleaning up on the glass early on:

As a result, Arkansas jumped out to a 9-4 lead by the first TV timeout.

The Razorbacks grew sloppy with the ball as the half wore on, leading to plenty of easy transition buckets for the Tar Heels.

The Charlotte Observer's Andrew Carter noted the Tar Heels were quickly able to get back into the game as a result:

Qualls was a constant source of consternation for UNC throughout the game, popping up for points in the paint and pulling down boards.

He also managed to provide some comic relief with this ridiculous, presumably unintentional rainbow shot with just under nine minutes to go in the half:

UNC might've done well in forcing turnovers, but Arkansas was able to break them down with second-chance points on occasion.

Bret Strelow of The Fayetteville Observer noted this has been an issue all season for the Tar Heels:

The teams traded buckets as the first half wound down, with UNC pulling ahead for a slim 39-36 lead at the break.

North Carolina suffered an apparent blow just over two minutes into the second half, as Meeks drew his fourth foul of the game and was forced to ride the pine for some time.

This opened up an opportunity for Arkansas to take advantage down low, but UNC kept the pressure on, and the half continued in the same back-and-forth vein that characterized the first.

Wolken noted the Razorbacks might've been lucky to be so competitive in this one:

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Qualls continued his devastating work inside and received a boost from Portis, as the two combined to score the Razorbacks' first 16 points of the second half. Carter noted Portis' unorthodox shooting form has proven to be particularly effective:

A strong run from UNC, keyed by a seemingly unstoppable Paige, led to a 71-61 scoreline in the Tar Heels' favor with 7:25 remaining.

Arkansas continued to have turnover issues in the second half and was unable to control the frantic speed of the game.

UNC's early shooting woes were a distant memory, and the team was brilliant from the free-throw line in the second half. Wolken noted Paige's capper to that crucial run:

The second-half surge was made all the more impressive by the fact that Meeks was on the bench and backup forward Isaiah Hicks had four fouls of his own.

Williams' small lineup proved to be wildly efficient, although it meant Qualls was able to continue on his warpath in the paint.

An Anthlon Bell three-pointer and two Qualls free throws would bring the Razorbacks within seven with four minutes to go, but UNC's Justin Jackson kept them at bay with a late five-point run of his own.

Meeks finally checked back into the game with approximately four minutes to go, but would have to leave the court almost immediately after suffering an apparent leg injury.

Arkansas appeared to have a chance to make it a game down seven with just over a minute remaining, but the Razorbacks bizarrely chose not to foul the Tar Heels in that situation, drawing ire from MLive.com's Nick Baumgardner:

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

UNC would calmly take its foul shots and survive for the nine-point win.

The Tar Heels continue their NCAA tournament run on March 26, where they will take on the winner of the Wisconsin-Oregon game. Tempo will likely be the key to the game in either matchup.

The Tar Heels' preferred pace would certainly make an Oregon matchup an entertaining one, as the Ducks like to push the tempo behind star guard Joe Young. Williams would certainly like his team to cut down on the 16 turnovers it had against Arkansas in that potential matchup.

Wisconsin, by contrast, likes to wind down the clock and wait for the best shot, not just a good one. UNC shot a robust 45 percent from the field on Saturday, a figure that would likely make them very competitive against the top-seeded Badgers.