Michigan State Again Feels Carolina Blue After Latest Loss to Tar Heels

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams managed to guide his young team to victory over the Michigan State Spartans despite one arm tied behind his back.

Actually, a post-surgery sling—resulting from a torn labrum—nestled Williams’ left arm, but that hardly stopped deja vu for the second-straight year at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Tuesday night in Chapel Hill’s Dean Smith Center, the Spartans squared off against the Tar Heels in a highly anticipated—and highly hyped—rematch of last season’s NCAA championship game.  

Once again, the Tar Heels (No. 10/11, 7-1) defeated the Spartans (No. 9, 5-2) albeit in a much closer, arduous game, 89-82. 

It was UNC’s fifth consecutive win over Michigan State—and third in the span of a year.

Michigan State had hoped to use Tuesday night’s less glamorous affair as a platform for announcing its triumphant return as a national title favorite.  After all, it appeared the Spartans had more motivating factors on their side.  They undoubtedly wanted to end a losing cycle against the defending national champs.  They wanted to exact revenge, long overdue from their point of view.  

Most of all, though, Michigan State did not wish to stomach its pride once again, especially in the face of rowdy Carolina fans screaming “Banner! Banner!”—a not-so-subtle verbal jab and reminder of Michigan State’s last devastating loss.

Nevertheless, it was North Carolina that seemingly came out with decisive resolve and stormed to an early first-half lead from which it never looked back.  

With the departure of last season’s star teammates—most of whom have settled in the NBA—the Tar Heels played like they had something to prove: We’re young, and we’re rebuilding...but disregard us at your own peril.

Forward Ed Davis and point guard Larry Drew II, both sophomores, provided career-best performances.

Davis scored 22 points, and Drew put up 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting and dished out six assists to only three turnovers against the strongest backcourt competition he’s faced this season.

Deon Thompson added 14 points, while Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Dexter Strickland, and the Wear twins rounded out UNC’s well-balanced and potent offense.

Senior forward Raymar Morgan led the Spartans’ offensive effort with 18 points, followed by Kalin Lucas’ 15 points, which brought Michigan State within six points of equalizing the scoreline in the last two minutes of regulation.  

However, the Tar Heels converted enough free throws to hold off their East Lansing opponent.

Michigan State shot 43 percent in the game, but only managed a dismal two-for-20 on three-pointers, after shooting 47 percent from behind the arc and 56 percent overall in its three previous games.

UNC, on the other hand, shot 64 percent, which contributed to its third-straight game in which it produced a first half of 50-plus points against the Spartans.

Recent history indicates Michigan State is a poor away-game team, having lost 16 of its last 19 road games against ranked opponents.  Add that stat to a North Carolina program that has a sparkling record of 35 consecutive home wins against non-conference opponents, and the Spartans may very well have started the game at an enormous disadvantage.

Statistics aside, the Spartans initially kept pace with the characteristically fast-paced and torrid Tar Heels offense, matching them bucket-per-bucket.  The scoreboard read 21-21 with 10:45 to play in the first half.

Then began the first of North Carolina’s scoring runs.  

Combined with Michigan State’s inability to hit shots consistently, the Tar Heels blitzed to a 50-34 lead at halftime—a comparable pattern from the last two games between these two teams, in which UNC held a 55-34 and 53-39 edge at the same point.

The Spartans outscored the Tar Heels 48-39 in the second half, perhaps the only silver lining in what continues to be a lopsided, inter-conference competition.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo vainly expressed a positive outlook, emphasizing the late second-half fight by the Spartans to avoid a would-be rout.

“Well, it’s hard to be disappointed and proud of your team at the same time,” Izzo said.  

“But give a lot of credit—even with a depleted team and all the foul trouble we were in during the second half—I thought we did a pretty good job of battling back.  And we did a little better job in the post.”

Williams, always the perfectionist, quickly pointed out areas for improvement after acknowledging the spirited, focused play of the first half.

“The second half I don’t think we were as attentive to detail, we lost our concentration a little bit, and yet we made some big plays during that stretch,” said Williams.

Under Williams’ tutelage, it is entirely reasonable, and likely, for North Carolina to improve as the season progresses—a scary thought given UNC’s successful history in the Williams era.

For Izzo and the Spartans, the drawing board calls for a new game plan for their next encounter with the Tar Heels, especially since Michigan State's Kryptonite comes in the shade of Carolina blue—at least for now.