Mount St. Mary’s guard Jeremy Goode, front, goes up for a basket during the second half of the opening round against Coppin State on Tuesday. Associated Press Photo.

DAYTON, Ohio — During the many hours spent perfecting his sweet jump shot in Carolina’s gyms, guard Jeremy Goode dreamed of one day swishing one of them for his beloved Tar Heels.

Never happened. Let’s just say the interest wasn’t mutual.

Now, the 5-foot-9 playmaker gets a chance to return to his home state and make a few of them against the team he loved more than any other.

He won’t get overlooked this time.

Goode scored a game-high 21 points Tuesday night, making shots from both inside the arc and beyond while leading Mount St. Mary’s to its first NCAA tournament victory, 69-60 over Coppin State in the opening game.

It’s a pretty good bet that the top-ranked Tar Heels won’t ignore him again. Not after what he did during the Mountaineers’ biggest victory during their 20 seasons in Division I.

“I grew up a Carolina fan,” said Goode, who was a prep star in Charlotte. “When you look at all the legendary players that came out of there, why not? I guess it means a lot to play against them.”

When Goode’s two free throws found their mark with 16 seconds left, essentially finishing it off, it meant a lot for the Maryland school that previously had little to be proud about as far as the NCAA tournament was concerned.

The Mountaineers (19-14) had been there twice before. Both appearances ended in blowout losses. Kentucky ripped them by 46 points in 1995, when the Mountaineers were just glad to make the tournament. Michigan State drubbed them by 23 in 1999.

The Northeast Conference tournament champs knew this was a chance to make a little school history, even if Coppin State (16-21) was one of the weakest teams to ever make the tournament.

So what if it was a game commonly known as the play-in?

“Because of all the talk, sometimes you can feel a little slighted or deserving of a little more,” coach Milan Brown said. “I tried to get that off their brains. We had an opportunity to win an NCAA tournament game.”

And now, an opportunity to show that they deserve more respect than their RPI of 159 usually gets them. They’ll play the Tar Heels on Friday in Raleigh, where they’ll see a whole lot of Carolina blue rather than their own dark shade of the same color.

“It’s going to be different because of where we’re playing,” said Goode, who knows firsthand what to expect.

Mount St. Mary’s also knows the math. A 16th seed has never taken down a No. 1.

So, the Mountaineers tried to live in the moment on Tuesday. After all, it was a long shot that they’d even get the chance to try for the historic upset.

They had a losing record with February winding down, but won their last five games to reach the NCAA tournament. Even before the Mountaineers arrived in Dayton, one of their coaches was watching video of the Tar Heels’ games, figuring it would be a good thing for later in the week.

For the first half on Tuesday night, it felt like a waste. Coppin State, the only team to reach the tournament with 20 losses, seemed to reinvent itself on the fly. The Eagles led the entire half, at one point pulling ahead by nine.

Another embarrassing NCAA loss for The Mount?

“Coach told us to we’ve got to get our heads together and get relaxed,” said Kelly Beidler, who had 15 rebounds. “Everything came together.”

More precisely, everything fell apart for Coppin State, which wilted against the Mountaineers’ trapping defense. When the pressure intensified, the Eagles appeared in over their heads.

Coppin state went five minutes without a basket, missing eight shots and a pair of free throws. That pretty much settled it.

“We had a lot of opportunities,” said Tywain McKee, who had a team-high 15 points. “We just couldn’t put them in.”