RALEIGH
North Carolina found during the first few minutes of the second half what it had been missing for long stretches of the first on Thursday night during the first round of the NCAA tournament: a spark. And some intensity.
After a listless finish to the first half UNC, the No. 1 seed in the East Region, controlled the second half from the start and pulled away for an 83-67 victory against 16th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast, which was the Cinderella darling of the 2013 NCAA tournament.
For a while it looked like the Eagles might have some more magic in them.