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Seth Trimble after North Carolina win: 'We know we deserve to be here'

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•03/19/25•

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Dec 17, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) brings the ball up court against the Florida Gators during the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

North Carolina‘s inclusion in the NCAA Tournament ruffled some feathers. Between being a big-named program and UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham being the Selection Committee chair, conspiracies popped up on social media. Mainly from the state of West Virginia and its governor after the Mountaineers were left out.

Just a couple of days later, the Tar Heels were in Dayton for the First Four and the result was not pretty. North Carolina blew out San Diego State, 95-68, and potentially sent a message. At least to guard Seth Trimble, who believes they deserved to be in the field of 68.

“We know we deserved to be here,” Trimble said postgame. “We’re not looking to send a message to anybody else. We’re just looking to compete as a team and be the team that we know that we’re capable of being. I think we did that tonight. We’ll go through that when we get to Milwaukee and go from there. We hear what people say. We don’t really care. It is what it is. We’re focused on us.”

Trimble personally had a nice night against the Aztecs. He finished with 16 points on five of 10 shooting from the field, his fifth game in double-figures over the past seven games. You can add three rebounds to the stat sheet as well.

From start to finish, North Carolina was in control of the game. San Diego State never had a real attempt at a comeback as the NCAA Tournament ended for them before blinking.

Now, the Tar Heels enter the first round with some momentum and still a chip on their shoulder. Trimble states the focus now shifts to the Ole Miss game set for Thursday. Possibly not the draw Chris Beard wanted to see after earning a six-seed on Selection Sunday. A tough matchup for the Rebels in getting an eleven-seeded Blue Blood.

North Carolina making a run as a lower seed would not be anything new under head coach Hubert Davis. The 2022 Final Four appearance was as an eight, going through multiple high seeds. Sure, they face Saint Peter’s in the Elite Eight but schools such as Baylor, Duke, Marquette, and UCLA were beaten along the way.

The goal is to replicate the success and prove a lot of people wrong. Win No. 1 is under UNC’s belt and ready to attack whoever winds up standing in their way.