Michigan State basketball vs. North Carolina: How have Spartans fared against Tar Heels

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It’s a blue-blood matchup in the second round of the NCAA tournament for Michigan State basketball with a program the Spartans have seen in some big moments during past March runs.

Michigan State will face North Carolina in the second round of the tournament after the 9-seed Spartans handled Mississippi State and the 1-seed Tar Heels easily navigated past Wagner in the opening set of games. Michigan State (20-14) is looking for its second straight Sweet 16 appearance but will have to get through the top-seeded ACC regular season champions, who will be playing in their home state in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Michigan State and North Carolina’s paths have crossed before in the tournament, which isn’t all that surprising for two top programs that have regularly put together postseason runs in the last 20 years. Since 1999, when coach Tom Izzo MSU took MSU to the Final Four for the first time, MSU has had eight trips to the final weekend, while North Carolina has had seven in that time frame and three national titles.

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The previous tournament matchup happened on the biggest stage in the 2009 national championship hosted in Detroit. In total, the programs have met 16 times, with the first matchup coming in the 1957 Final Four. Here is a quick rundown of the history between Michigan State basketball and North Carolina before the 17th matchup.

Michigan State vs. North Carolina tournament history

Michigan State is 0-5 all-time in the NCAA tournament against North Carolina, with three of the five losses coming on the biggest stage.

The two schools first met in the tournament during the 1957 Final Four, with North Carolina winning, 74-70, in triple overtime. It was Michigan State’s first-ever trip to the semifinals, led by the late Johnny Green, but the Tar Heels emerged victorious before beating Kansas in triple overtime for the school’s first national title.

The next tournament matchup came in the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-state-basketball-vs-north-180945290.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2024-03-22 18:09:45

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