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Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from blowout win over North Carolina

By Connor Muldowney

PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 26: North Carolina Tar Heels forward Luke Maye #32, Michigan State Spartans forward Nick Ward #44, North Carolina Tar Heels forward Garrison Brooks #15 and Michigan State Spartans forward Jaren Jackson Jr. #2 battle for position in the first half of the game during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 26, 2017 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 26: North Carolina Tar Heels forward Luke Maye #32, Michigan State Spartans forward Nick Ward #44, North Carolina Tar Heels forward Garrison Brooks #15 and Michigan State Spartans forward Jaren Jackson Jr. #2 battle for position in the first half of the game during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 26, 2017 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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PORTLAND, OR – NOVEMBER 26: Nike co-founder Phil Knight presents head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan State Spartans the trophy for the ‘Victory Bracket’ Championship after the game during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 26, 2017 in Portland, Oregon. Michigan State won the game 63-45. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR – NOVEMBER 26: Nike co-founder Phil Knight presents head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan State Spartans the trophy for the ‘Victory Bracket’ Championship after the game during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 26, 2017 in Portland, Oregon. Michigan State won the game 63-45. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

1. The sky is the limit for this team

After beating the Tar Heels rather easily while not even playing their best game, the Spartans made one thing known: the sky is the limit. Michigan State is one of the best teams in college basketball right now and it might just be a two-team race, maybe with Florida thrown in there, for the national title.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 bold predictions for November

It’s still extremely early to be able to judge something like that, but this team is playing at a high level and hung right in there with Duke a couple of weeks ago. That Duke game would have been a great win for the Spartans if they had figured out how to box out — but that’s a story for another day.

The best part about the PK80 tournament title is the fact that the Spartans won easily without the help of Miles Bridges at 100 percent. They got about a 60-80 percent Bridges for the final two games against Connecticut and North Carolina while he sat out against DePaul — and they won each game by 18-plus points.

Next: MSU Basketball: Game-by-game predictions for 2017-18

A new player stepped up each game for the Spartans, and that’s good news for this team down the line. Against DePaul it was Matt McQuaid, versus UConn it was Cassius Winston and on Sunday it was Josh Langford. This team has plenty of depth and talent.

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