Feast Week may be a little different this year because of the Players Era Tournament, but Michigan State basketball will still be featured in one of the games of the week.
The Spartans will take on No. 16 North Carolina in the Fort Myers Tip-Off which concludes on Thursday evening. Michigan State took care of East Carolina in the first game at the event, 89-56, and now it’ll take on the only other ranked team in Fort Myers.
Hubert Davis has North Carolina sitting at 6-0 as well, and the Tar Heels’ biggest win of the season was over Kansas who is now unranked, although I expect that to change after the Jayhawks beat Tennessee. Still, this North Carolina team is very good, and it’s going to require Michigan State’s ‘A’ game to beat the Tar Heels on Thursday to remain undefeated.
Let’s get bold ahead of the big game.
1. Coen Carr has best game of the year
Junior forward Coen Carr is one of the star’s of this young Michigan State team, and he’s also had a modest start to the season, scoring-wise. I think that changes on Thursday.
While Carr hasn’t needed to score much, his highest point total this season has been 15, but I see him touching 20 on Thursday evening. If Michigan State is going to beat another ranked team, Carr has to be on his game, and I can see him being more aggressive against a tough North Carolina defense.
Carr will hit a couple of threes, make his free throws, and he’ll also throw down multiple highlight-reel dunks, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks.
2. Michigan State out-rebounds UNC by 5+
Why is this a bold prediction? Only because North Carolina is one of the rare teams that’s better at rebounding than Michigan State. The Spartans average 43.2 rebounds per game while North Carolina is over 45 per contest. The Tar Heels are menaces on the glass.
But Tom Izzo will have his guys ready, and I’m sure he’s prepared them for what should be a heck of a battle on the boards.
Michigan State will step up and out-rebound one of the top-10 rebounding teams in college basketball by at least five, proving that this Spartan team is just tougher.
3. Michigan State covers in a thrilling game
Michigan State will find itself going back-and-forth with North Carolina all game long, and it’ll come down to the final minute, but the Spartans are not only going to win, but they’re going to cover.
The Spartans opened as 2.5-point favorites, and I see them playing as such. They’re going to fall behind early, make a comeback, take a slight lead into the locker room at half, and then change leads with North Carolina constantly in the second half before a huge Jaxon Kohler 3-pointer puts the Spartans up by four in the final minutes, and free throws will put it away.
Michigan State holds on to beat its third ranked team of the year, 77-73.