COLUMBIA, S.C. (WNCN) — Less than 24 hours after the men’s team learned they would play Michigan State in the next round, the North Carolina women’s basketball team begins the postseason Friday morning against their Spartan counterparts.
The eighth-seeded Tar Heels (19-12) face ninth-seeded Michigan State (22-8) at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC. Tip off for the first round game in the Albany 1 region is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.
UNC, who finished tied for seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings with Duke, will try to bounce back from a one-point loss to Miami in the second round of the ACC Tournament. Senior captains Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby both had 15 points in that game to lead the Tar Heels.
Michigan State finished fourth in the Big Ten standings and are also coming off a loss in their conference tournament. The Spartans lost to Nebraska in the third round, a game in which the team’s leading scorer, Julia Ayrault, dropped 25 points. Ayrault is averaging 15.4 points per game this year and also leads the team in rebounds (7.2 per game) and blocks (2.1 per game).
The Tar Heels have an all-time record of 50-29 in the NCAA Tournament and have made the postseason the last four years, but this is the first time North Carolina is playing as a No. 8 seed. Here’s how to watch their matchup against the No. 9 Spartans.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Michigan State Spartans
When: 11:30 a.m. Friday, March 22
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC
TV channel: ESPN2
Streaming: goheels.com, ESPN+ (Subscription required)
Radio: Westwood One Sports affiliates across the country
Online radio: goheels.com
Betting odds: Michigan State is a 1.5-point favorite over North Carolina, according to ESPN Bet. The over/under is 142.5.