CHICAGO (AP) -- Kenyon Martin wanted to let people know that when top-ranked Cincinnati takes the court he is in charge of things near the basket.

In the Bearcats' 77-68 victory over No. 7 North Carolina on Wednesday night in the Great Eight, Martin finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots. But it was goaltending calls that gave their Tar Heels their first two field goals of the game that let people know it was going to be his night inside.

	Steve Logan eyes the basket as he drives past Ed Cota.

"That's the norm for me," he said. "The one I grabbed, that was a statement. If I could have swatted it into the stands I would have. I want them to be intimidated so they don't want to go in there."

The Bearcats' first ever victory over North Carolina came as Martin, at 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds, gave away three inches and 35 pounds to North Carolina center Brendan Haywood.

"He's a great shot blocker. He had some really impressive blocks," Haywood said. "He didn't want to post me up. He wanted to face me and use his quickness and he's a very quick player."

Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins has watched Martin, the Conference USA defensive player of the year the last two seasons, emerge as an all-around player.

"He's got to be as good a player as there is in the country," Huggins said. "He could always rebound and be a force on the defensive end and he has worked hard on his offensive game. He can pass the ball. There isn't a whole lot he can't do."

The Bearcats (6-0) had lost all seven previous meetings with North Carolina, three in the 1990s, including an overtime game in the 1993 regional finals.

North Carolina (6-2) has played only one home game this season -- an 86-76 loss to then-No. 7 Michigan State -- and was coming off a game Tuesday night, a 91-67 victory over Buffalo.

With Martin challenging almost every shot taken, the Bearcats took control early. A layup by Martin gave them a 16-8 lead five minutes into the game.

A dunk by freshman Donald Little gave Cincinnati a 41-24 lead with 3:32 left in the first half, but North Carolina closed the half with a 7-2 run to make it 43-31 and opened the second half with seven straight points to make it 43-38 with 17:39 to play.

For the next five minutes the game had the feel of one being played late into the NCAA Tournament as bodies flew and each possession had an edge to it.

North Carolina got within 50-48 on a basket down low by Max Owens, who finished with 18 points.

Ryan Fletcher, a senior forward making his first start of the season, then hit his third 3-pointer of the game and Pete Mickeal, who led the Bearcats with 21 points, had a three-point play and the lead was eight points with 10:47 left.

North Carolina got within four points one more time, 60-56 on a rebound jumper by Joseph Forte with 6:17 left but Martin answered with a jumper 19 seconds later.

Cincinnati had one field goal over the final five minutes -- a three-point play by Mickeal with 1:26 left -- but the Bearcats were 11-of-15 from foul line to keep the Tar Heels at bay.

"I thought we came back better than we did last Wednesday," Tar Heels coach Bill Guthridge said, referring to the loss to Michigan State. "I thought before the game that Cincinnati was one of the best teams I've see in the last several years and nothing in the course of the game changed my mind."

Huggins was throwing around the accolades just yet.

"I was happy with the game but the thing is we can get so much better. We gave up a lot of open shots we don't normally give up," he said. "I think we're a good basketball team. I don't think we're a great basketball team and I hope our guys are motivated to get better."

DerMarr Johnson had 14 points for Cincinnati and Fletcher finished with 11.

Forte finished with 17 points for the Tar Heels, while Haywood had 14 and Ed Cota 11.