The North Carolina Tar Heels managed to slip into the first four in the 68-team NCAA Tournament field, taking on one of the Mountain West Conference's top five teams in the San Diego State Aztecs.

UNC and head coach Hubert Davis won two of its last three and seven of its last nine to reach the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels only two losses over the final month of the season (including the ACC men's tournament) was to the rival Duke Blue Devils in the finale of the regular season and the ACC Tournament over the past few days.

San Diego State has slipped up a bit in recent weeks in the stretch run of the regular season and the Mountain West men's tournament. The Aztecs dropped three of its last six contests, including a Mountain West Tournament convincing loss by double digits to the Boise State Broncos last week.

Over the past few years in the early 2020s decade, San Diego State has become accustomed to consistently making the Big Dance for the postseason. San Diego State has made the NCAA Tournament field five straight years.

But San Diego State boasts an impressive non-conference resume, including a massive overtime win over the No. 2 Houston Cougars and a ranked win by double digits over the No. 21 Creighton Blue Jays.

A trip to the Round of 64 in the South Region to face the six-seed Ole Miss Rebels this upcoming weekend is on the line for the winner of UNC-San Diego State in the first four.

Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook 

There are no injuries being publicly reported by the Tar Heels going into the NCAA Tournament vs. San Diego State on Tuesday.

North Carolina and San Diego State series history

North Carolina vs San Diego State prediction

Between UNC's proficiency in non-Quad 1 games this past regular season and San Diego State's ability to compete with some of the most talented teams in the nation since its regular season overtime win over Houston, this game could really go either way.

San Diego State likes to set the tone defensively by challenging shots consistently and forcing turnovers by disrupting passing lanes and converting turnovers into easy points on the offensive end of the floor. The Aztecs rank first in the nation in opponent field goal percentage (37.8 percent).

Defensively, San Diego State has allowed the third-fewest total points of all Division 1 teams in the nation.

UNC needs huge games from guards RJ Davis and ACC All-Freshman Ian Jackson. The reigning ACC Player of the Year and consensus All-American for the Tar Heels in 2023-24, Davis leads the team in scoring at a clip of 17 points per game this season.

Davis has averaged over 18 points per game in UNC's nine Quad 1 and 2 victories this past regular season and the ACC Tournament last week.