Top-ranked North Carolina will hope to make the first of two trips this season to Ford Field for the 2008-09 campaign, when they face Michigan State this evening in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

2008-12-03

Top-ranked North Carolina will hope to make the first of two trips this season to Ford Field for the 2008-09 campaign, when they face Michigan State this evening in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Tar Heels were fresh off a Maui Invitational title conquest and returned to Chapel Hill to run roughshod over UNC-Ashville 116-48 this past Sunday. North Carolina will hope to return to this venue again the first weekend in April for the Final Four.

The Tar Heels (7-0, 3-2 ATS) comes in as solid nine-point favorite, as noted at Sportsbook.com. The immense talent of this team is shown by the fact that All-American Tyler Hansbrough has only played three games this season due to a preseason injury to his right shin and an ankle injury. Hansbourgh is listed as probable, however reports surfaced last night, the senior big man will give it go in warm-ups and see how he feels after experiencing discomfort on return trip home from Hawaii. “I’m not hiding. I’m just telling you, I do not know,” coach Roy Williams said.

North Carolina is 18-4 ATS in non-conference games over the last two seasons and is receiving exceptional play from Ty Lawson and Danny Green. Both players are playing at an even higher level as upperclassmen on a team with incredible balance to start the season. Six Tar Heels players score at least 10 points per game. The Tar Heels average a gaudy 96.9 points and have scored more than 100 in three of their seven games, with their average margin of victory 29.7 points per game. In their last four games they are shooting over 55 percent.

Don’t think coach Williams team is just offense, as opponents are converting only 37.4 percent of their shots, compared to 44 percent in all other games. The Heels are 8-1 ATS after allowing 55 points or less since 2006.

Michigan State (4-1, 2-2 ATS) comes into this showdown more uncertain than what they had hoped. The Spartans entered last week ranked No. 5 in The Associated Press poll, but fell to No. 13 after a first-round 80-62 spanking to Maryland in the Old Spice Classic. Michigan State rebounded with wins over Oklahoma State and Wichita State, covering the spread only once in Orlando. The Spartans will have to become more consistent and get healthier if they can to remain among the nation’s elite.

“Our team is not where we need to be at this point and it’s not where we’re going to be down the road,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. Spartans center Goran Suton sat out last week’s tournament with a knee injury. The leading returning rebounder in the Big Ten isn’t likely to play against North Carolina, either, although he is expected to be back in the lineup at some point, perhaps before the Big Ten season begins. This is a big reason why the Michigan State defense has not been up to typical standards, allowing 43.9 percent shooting. Nevertheless, no excuses why the guards are not doing a better job defensively, with opponents converting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Spartans will have to be more aggressive on defense, since they are 6-23 ATS when they allow 81 or more points in a game.
One matchup to watch for is Lawson against Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas, who is one of the few players in the country quick enough to run with Lawson. The Spartans sophomore point guard will still be at a disadvantage, with Lawson being much stronger and weighing 15-20 more pounds.

Like North Carolina, the Michigan State club shoots the three-ball extremely well at 38.1 percent (UNC at 42.4%) however the Tar Heels are 20-8 ATS versus good 3-point shooting teams, making 37 or more of their attempts.

“We’re definitely excited about the opportunity we have in front of us, even though it might be daunting, to say the least,” Izzo said. “It’s maybe the best team we’ve played since I’ve been here.”

The tip-off is set for 9:15 Eastern before a decidedly pro-Michigan State crowd, taking aim at number one North Carolina who has covered their last six December appointments.

StatFox Power Line- North Carolina by 9

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