Brief thoughts and grades: No. 4 Auburn over No. 12 North Carolina

I texted with someone inside the program after the win over Iowa State and said, "this team has grit." The reply: "Yes, they sure do." After comeback wins over Houston and Iowa State, the Tigers looked incredibly confident against North Carolina, leading by as many 18 points and cruising home to a 13-point win. Bruce Pearl talked about it postgame and Chad Baker-Mazara echoed it: This team is playing with a chip on their shoulder and December hasn't even arrived.