Yes, they did play well. North Texas was very impressive. Every time the heavily favored team got into a run and threatened to go ahead, they kept their composure and stayed the course.
This is their 44 year old coach's head coaching record:
2009–10 Midwestern State 30–3 10–2 1st NCAA Division II Elite Eight
2010–11 Midwestern State 25–9 9–5 2nd NCAA Division II Elite Eight
Midwestern State: 55–12 (.821) 19–7 (.735)
Arkansas State Red Wolves (Sun Belt Conference) (2016–2017)
2016–17 Arkansas State 20–12 11–7 T–3rd
Arkansas State: 20–12 (.625) 11–7 (.611)
North Texas Mean Green (Conference USA) (2017–present)
2017–18 North Texas 20–18 8–10 T–7th CBI Champions
2018–19 North Texas 21–12 8–10 T–9th
2019–20 North Texas 20–11 14–4 1st Postseason Cancelled
2020–21 North Texas 17–9 9–5 3rd (West) NCAA Division I
In his 7 years of head coaching, this guy has failed to win 20+ games once (in this COVID year) and now he's just won his school's first NCAA tournament game ever.
Maybe we should consider a guy who puts a great product on the floor (regardless of the level) instead of a local boy/legacy (Smith, Dutcher) or an inspirational feel good story (Gates).