Michigan State Spartans (20-14, 11-11 Big Ten) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (28-7, 19-4 ACC)
Charlotte, North Carolina; Saturday, 5:30 p.m. EDT
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tar Heels -3.5; over/under is 140.5
BOTTOM LINE: No. 5 North Carolina takes on Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels are 19-4 against ACC opponents and 9-3 in non-conference play. North Carolina is 1-2 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Spartans are 11-11 in Big Ten play. Michigan State ranks eighth in the Big Ten with 23.0 defensive rebounds per game led by Malik Hall averaging 3.9.
North Carolina averages 81.7 points, 16.2 more per game than the 65.5 Michigan State gives up. Michigan State averages 6.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.5 fewer makes per game than North Carolina allows.
TOP PERFORMERS: RJ Davis is shooting 41.0% from beyond the arc with 3.1 made 3-pointers per game for the Tar Heels, while averaging 21.4 points and 3.5 assists. Armando Bacot is averaging 14.7 points and 10.5 rebounds over the last 10 games.
Hall is averaging 12.5 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Spartans. Tyson Walker is averaging 16.5 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Tar Heels: 9-1, averaging 80.2 points, 41.7 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 5.1 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.4 points per game.
Spartans: 5-5, averaging 68.0 points, 34.4 rebounds, 13.8 assists, 7.5 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 43.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.2 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
