CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WNCN) — There will be a battle between two storied basketball programs Saturday night in Charlotte.
No. 1 North Carolina (28-7) and No. 9 Michigan State (20-14) will battle for a chance to go to the Sweet 16 in the West region. Due to the preceding games, tip off from the Spectrum Center has been pushed back to 5:45 p.m. here on CBS 17.
The Tar Heels are looking to continue to add to the program’s record number of wins in the NCAA Tournament, but legendary coach Tom Izzo’s team figures to be a tough opponent.
The Spartans won their first round game against No. 8 Mississippi State by 18 points. Tyson Walker scored a game-high 19 points, while Jaden Akins added 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds.
In UNC’s game against Wagner on Thursday, ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis led the way with 22 ponts and Armando Bacot had another double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds.
North Carolina leads the all-time series against Michigan State with a 12-4 record and are a perfect 5-0 against the Spartans in the NCAA Tournament. The last time the two teams met in the postseason was in the 2009 NCAA championship game, which UNC won for the school’s fifth national title.