The marquee matchup of the Fort Myers Tip-Off is between the No. 16 North Carolina Tar Heels and No. 11 Michigan State Spartans. The final game of the tournament will be nationally televised on FOX.
These
teams are both 6-0 to start the season, and Tom Izzo’s squad has had an impressive start to the season that goes beyond their undefeated record. Michigan State hosted No. 12 Arkansas in East Lansing. Trailing by three at the half, the Spartans pulled ahead by a few in the second half and survived a late-game surge by the Razorbacks to win by three. Then, during the State Farm Champions Classic, Michigan State dominated No. 12 Kentucky in the first half and cruised to an 83-66 victory.
Looking at the averages, this seems like an even matchup.
Both teams are averaging over 80 points per game, and each is holding opponents to scoring in the low 60s. Carolina is hitting 48% from the field and pulling down 45 rebounds per game, while Michigan State hits 46% of its shots and has 43 boards per game.
It will come down to individual performances and how the players compete in their matchups. Henri Veesaar competed well in a physical matchup on Tuesday. Can he do it again against Jaxon Kohler, who is more physical and has 20 pounds on Veesaar?
Spartan point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. leads the nation in assists and is the only player averaging over 10 per game. Can Kyan Evans slow him down and gain the advantage on the offensive end?
Tonight is the 19th meeting between the teams, and there have been some good ones over the years. Of the 18 previous games, 11 featured both teams ranked in the AP Poll — add another one to the record books.
Coach Dean Smith won all three of his games against Michigan State, and Coach Roy Williams had an incredible 7-1 record, including seven straight, against Izzo and the Spartans.
Frank McGuire and Bill Guthridge were both 1-1 against Michigan State, and Matt Doherty lost his only game against the Spartans. Head coach Hubert Davis is looking for his second win in three games versus MSU.
Forget football on Thanksgiving. This will be the game on televisions across North Carolina and beyond this afternoon.
Here’s how to check out the action:
- Time: 4:30 PM ET
- Location: Suncoast Credit Union Arena — Fort Myers, FL
- TV: FOX with Adam Amin as play-by-play and Jim Jackson as analyst.
- Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network with Jones Angell, Tyler Hansbrough, and Adam Lucas. Here’s a list of affiliates airing the THSN broadcast. You can also listen to them on GoHeels.com, The Varsity Network, Tune In, and Sirius XM on channel 84.
- Streaming: Fox One app and Fox Sports Live.
- Line: TBA
