Junior forward Tyler Zeller tallied a game-best 27 points to help the No. 2-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels easily defeat the No. 11 Marquette Golden Eagles, 81-63, in a fourth-round NCAA Tournament contest in Newark NJ. The Tar Heels (29-7) advance to the Elite 8 to face either No. 1 Ohio St. Buckeyes or No. 4 Kentucky on Saturday. Marquette ends its season 22-15.
The Golden Eagles, which trailed 40-15 at halftime, were able to trim the margin to 17 points with 5:22 remaining in the contest, but couldn't get any closer. Senior forward Jimmy Butler finished with 14 points in his collegiate finale. Davante Gardner had 16 points for the Golden Eagles, who shot just 22-63 (36.5 percent) from the field and committed 18 turnovers.
Freshman forward Harrison Barnes scored 20 points for the Tar Heels, who advance to the Elite 8 for the fourth time in five seasons. Sophomore forward John Henson netted 12 of his 14 points in the first half.
-- Visit SB Nation's Anonymous Eagle for more Marquette basketball information. Carolina March for everything UNC basketball.