UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC vs. Michigan St. 85-69 Win
UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Takes Michigan State’s Best Blow Then Turns on the Jets to Finish the Spartans Off to Move on to the Sweet 16
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
The North Carolina basketball team faced off against Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday night. This is the sixth matchup between the two historic basketball programs in the tournament as the Tar Heels looked to improve their record to 6-0 tonight. UNC got off to a slow start in this game and Michigan State took full advantage jumping out to an early 12-5 lead. The Spartans were the more physical, tougher, and aggressive team in the first few minutes of the game, and it allowed them to dictate the pace and overall tempo of the game early on.
The Tar Heels were just lacking the energy and urgency needed on both ends of the floor for them to get comfortable in the game. Carolina was allowing Michigan State to get into their offensive sets and actions too easily and it showed in the box score as the Spartans shot 50% from the field and 42% from three including a lot of points in the paint. The Heels were just being outhustled and outworked on both ends of the floor by Michigan State, which was completely uncharacteristic of this Carolina team. With just over 8 minutes left in the first half, Michigan State led 26-14 over the Heels, but after the under 8-minute timeout something switched for this Carolina team.
The Heels came out with a new sense of urgency, energy, and intensity on both ends of the floor. UNC picked up their pressure defensively and started to be more aggressive attacking the basket offensively and moving the ball around for quality shots every time down the floor. Over the next few minutes, the Tar Heels completely turned the game around with a 17-0 run. North Carolina made the adjustments defensively by locking up the paint and forcing the Spartans into tough midrange shots and turnovers. During this run, Carolina really started to find their groove offensively with RJ Davis, Harrison Ingram, and Cormac all hitting threes, and Armando Bacot making his presence known in the paint. The Tar Heels closed the first half on a 23-3 run and led Michigan State 40-31 at intermission after being down 12 earlier in the game.
Coming out of halftime, Michigan State would make an early run to bring the game back within 2. The Heels started the second half lackadaisical on defense and were sloppy with the ball offensively. Michigan State would take full advantage as Jade Adkins would get going with a couple of threes and other baskets to help chip away the North Carolina lead. However, the Tar Heels would respond to Michigan State’s run and proceed to get back to playing Carolina basketball. As Coach Davis has preached all season long, UNC started to defend, rebound, take care of the basketball, and get the ball inside and the Carolina lead extended once again.
Armando Bacot played extremely well and was the focal point of the Heels’ offense and he came through with either baskets or assists to the open man for the Tar Heels. RJ Davis, Harrison Ingram, and Cormac Ryan also did a great job contributing offensively as four of the five starters finished the game with at least 14 points. In addition, Seth Trimble, Jaelyn Withers, and Jalen Washington continue the trend of being huge for Carolina off the bench with their energy, effort, and key contributions on both ends of the floor to provide a significant boost for UNC. Michigan State brought the fight early to North Carolina, and once the Tar Heels responded their talent and overall depth would ultimately be too much for the Spartans. UNC led by as much as 17 in the game and advanced to their 31st sweet 16 after their tough 85-69 win over Michigan State.
UNC Game Stats
| 1 | 2 | T | |
| 9 Michigan St. 20-15 | 31 | 38 | 69 |
| 1 North Carolina 29-7 | 40 | 45 | 85 |
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| R. Davis | 20 | 1 | 1 | 7/15 | 3/7 | 3/4 | 2 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| A. Bacot | 18 | 7 | 3 | 5/10 | 0/0 | 8/10 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| H. Ingram | 17 | 7 | 0 | 6/11 | 5/7 | 0/0 | 3 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Ryan | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3/9 | 2/5 | 6/6 | 3 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| E. Cadeau | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2/6 | 0/4 | 2/3 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| J. Washington | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Withers | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2/4 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Trimble | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| D. Farris | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Okonkwo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R. Landry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Z. High | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P. Wojcik | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Lebo | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 85 | 29 | 12 | 28/60 | 10/26 | 19/23 | 14 | – | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| T. Walker | 24 | 2 | 0 | 9/16 | 2/6 | 4/6 | 1 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| M. Hall | 17 | 9 | 0 | 6/10 | 0/3 | 5/6 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| J. Akins | 11 | 4 | 1 | 4/12 | 2/4 | 1/1 | 5 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A. Hoggard | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1/10 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 3 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| C. Cooper | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| X. Booker | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2/2 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Sissoko | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2/3 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Holloman | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| J. Kohler | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Carr | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| N. Sanders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Izzo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Smith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Fears Jr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| G. Normand | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 69 | 31 | 6 | 26/59 | 6/16 | 11/15 | 20 | – | 3 | 1 | 11 |
UNC Bright Spots
RJ Davis had 20 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal.
Armando Bacot had 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
Harrison Ingram had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 steal.
Cormac Ryan had 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels need to start games with more energy, effort, and intensity on both ends of the floor. Their slow starts allow teams to get confidence early in games and it can become dangerous for the Heels if they do this as they continue to advance in the tournament and face better competition.
Final Observations
North Carolina advances to their 31st Sweet Sixteen and now possesses the most wins in NCAA tournament history with 133 to go along with the most Final Fours (21), and the second-highest winning percentage in the tournament’s history. The Tar Heels found a way to beat a gritty Michigan State team, but for the second straight tournament, they got off to a slow start at the beginning of the game. That just can’t happen anymore going forward in the tournament and must be a point of emphasis for the coaching staff to get across to the Carolina players. Other than that, once the Heels lock in they are playing good basketball.
Four starters in double figures and major contributions off the bench is a good recipe for the Tar Heels to keep going for the remainder of the tournament. If the Tar Heels can come up with a sense of urgency, intensity, and energy to start the game, I think we will see the best version of this Carolina team, which will be hard for any team left in the tournament to beat. Next up will be the winner of the Alabama-Grand Canyon game next Thursday, March 28 with time TBD.