CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Despite the sea of Carolina blue in the stands, the No. 2-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels fell to seventh-seeded Texas A&M, 86-65, in the second round of the N.C.A.A. tournament on Sunday.

The Aggies will play third-seeded Michigan (30-7), the Big Ten champion, in the round of 16 on Thursday in Los Angeles.

The game’s tone was set midway through the first half, with the Tar Heels up, 20-17. North Carolina sophomore Brandon Robinson drove to the hoop, and Robert Williams, Texas A&M’s 6-foot-10 sophomore forward, shifted over, leapt at Robinson’s layup and slammed it back like a tennis player hitting a lob.

It not only denied the Tar Heels a basket; it was a message from the Aggies: We rule down low.

And so they did for the rest of the game. From that block, they went on a 25-8 run to close the half, and then built on the lead from there.