UNC vs. FGCU: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2016

There will be no Cinderella run for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in 2016.    

Three years removed from a magical jaunt to the Sweet 16, the No. 16-seeded Eagles fell Thursday to the No. 1-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, 83-67, in the first round of East Regional play at the NCAA tournament. 

Playing in front of a pro-Carolina crowd at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Tar Heels put on a show as they outscored the Eagles 42-27 in the second half after entering halftime up just one point.  

Brice Johnson played the role of two-way wrecking ball with 18 points, seven rebounds and eight blocks, while Joel Berry II and Marcus Paige added 14 and 10 points, respectively. 

Isaiah Hicks and Justin Jackson made their presences felt with matching 12-point, four-rebound lines in the win. 

Florida Gulf Coast was led by 15 points from Christian Terrell as the Eagles shot 43.1 percent from the field, but it was a tale of two halves for the feisty underdogs who faded down the stretch. 

If seeds were stripped from the equation, it would have been impossible to guess Florida Gulf Coast trotted into PNC Arena as a First Four winner that was playing on just one day of rest after beating Fairleigh Dickinson in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday night. 

Although North Carolina posted a 10-0 run early in the first half that could have dazed the Eagles, FGCU ripped off a 20-11 run of its own toward the end of the opening frame in order to draw within one point entering the halftime locker room. 

And had it not been for 10 first-half turnovers, the Eagles may have actually been able to boast a lead after the first 20 minutes. Throughout that span, FGCU shot 60 percent to UNC's 41.2 and posted a 21-14 rebounding edge. 

As a key contributor on the Eagles' 2012-13 team that qualified for the Sweet 16, Chase Fieler, noted, it has never been like FGCU to back down just because it faced superior competition: 

But when the second stanza rolled around, the Tar Heels looked energized as they sought to atone for a lackluster and lethargic first half. 

Riding Berry's hustle, Johnson's effort in the paint and Paige's playmaking, North Carolina came out of the locker room and went on a 20-6 run as the Eagles failed to play with the same stoic demeanor that allowed them to hang tight early. 

NCAA March Madness on Twitter documented one of Berry's more impressive hustle plays in the second half: 

And while UNC had no trouble converting in the half court, it shone in transition as FGCU's offense seized up and allowed the Tar Heels to run off misses and turnovers. 

Thanks to the Tar Heels' ability to rediscover their identity, head coach Roy Williams' program will meet the winner of Thursday night's showdown between the No. 8-seeded USC Trojans and the No. 9-seeded Providence Friars on Saturday. 

Kris Dunn, Ben Bentil and a Friars defense that ranks 28th in KenPom.com's adjusted defensive efficiency would be a tough draw for Carolina, but if the Tar Heels can sustain the effort they flaunted throughout the second half for a full 40 minutes, they should have no problem advancing to the tournament's second weekend. 

Postgame Reaction

"We just didn't play well," Johnson said of UNC's first-half performance, per InsideCarolina.com. "We allowed them to do whatever they wanted." 

The News & Observer's Andrew Carter provided some insight into how Carolina was able to mount its second-half charge: 

Luke DeCock of the News & Observer relayed another quote from Johnson that explained how the Tar heels got motivated to shut the door on FGCU: 

"The start of the second half obviously dictated the result," Florida Gulf Coast head coach Joe Dooley said, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

"There was no sense of panic or nervousness in that regard," Paige added, per InsideCarolina. "We were just tight in the first half. That's how we played. We just knew if we played better, everything else would take care of itself."  

Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four.