No. 1 seed Carolina will face No. 9 Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. After the game against Wagner on Thursday and before a practice session on Friday, several Tar Heels and head coach Hubert Davis previewed the matchup.
Read what they had to say here:
C Armando Bacot
North Carolina forward Armando Bacot reacts to being fouled while making the basket against Wagner during the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024 in Charlotte, N.C. (Image via Associated Press/Mike Stewart)
On his relationship with Michigan State: Coach [Tom] Izzo, they recruited me. I got an offer my junior year, toward the summer. But I was already committed to Carolina. I just hadn’t announced it yet.
On returning to the NCAA Tournament: It’s a great feeling. But I’ve enjoyed this whole year, just being able to be back with so many teammates and a great coaching staff. We’ve had a lot of fun, and we don’t plan on going home soon.
G R.J. Davis
Image via The News & Observer/Robert Willett
On how UNC needs to improve to beat Michigan State: We’ve gotta play a lot better than we did [against Wagner]. We still won by a lot of points, but we definitely had a lot of slip-ups. The loose balls, the second-chance rebounds that Wagner got, our turnovers, not having fast-break points in the first half. Those little slippages throughout the game, we’re gonna have to cut down on that for us to beat a really good Michigan State team.
On returning to the NCAA Tournament: It means a lot. I love playing in March. I’ve loved it since I was a kid. But it’s just taking it one step at a time, one game at a time. Cherish each moment. Embrace it. You never know when your last game could be, especially in March.
G Cormac Ryan
On Michigan State: They’re a physical team. They’re good defensively. They’ve got a really good half-court defense. They like to push the pace in transition. We did some scouting last night, so we’re ready to go out and compete and play against a good team on Saturday.
On his memories of facing Michigan State last season with Notre Dame: They bring back a lot of the guys they had on that team last year. A lot of similar guys, but year-to-year, things change. Obviously, they’re a little bit different this year. And we’re different. I’m with a different group. And I couldn’t imagine a better team to go and take on Michigan State than the team we’ve brought to Charlotte.
On Hubert Davis’ “Charlotte Tournament” philosophy: I really like that framework. I thought that was really helpful for us. Everyone likes to talk about six games to win a championship, but six games is a lot of games. And for us to take it piece-by-piece, focus on Charlotte first and the task at hand, we’re halfway done with the Charlotte tournament. Being able to focus one at a time, I think, is very important. To not get ahead of yourself, and not get caught up in the long road to Phoenix. Just staying focused on what you can control, and win the games you come to play.
F Harrison Ingram
North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram grabs a rebound away from Wagner forward Tyje Kelton during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, March 21, 2024 in Charlotte, N.C. (Image via Associated Press/Mike Stewart)
On Michigan State: They’ve got a pretty good guard in [Tyson] Walker who’s been averaging about 20 points per game. He’s tough, makes shots off the dribble, makes three-point shots. Got good big men, four big men who they rotate through, so they’ve got a lot of depth and a lot of strength. And they play Big Ten basketball, which is more physical.
On the pedigree of the matchup: It’s a surreal moment to think about: for the right to go to the Sweet 16, you’ve gotta face Tom Izzo and Michigan State. They’re a great team. They had an up-and-down year, but they were preseason Top 5. They earned the right to the tournament, and they’re a really good team. We’re ready to go.
On his March Madness experience: I think definitely I watched more games when I was not in it, just because I had more time to think about other teams, not really worrying about who we’re playing or the scouting report we’re doing. But this year, we’ve watched so much film. Right now, we’ve watched so much film of Michigan State. It’s kind of hard to watch other games. You get burned out watching all that basketball. But for me, I’m just happy to be here. Just trying to soak in the moment and have a great time.
Head coach Hubert Davis
North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis speaks during the first half of a first-round college basketball game against Wagner in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (Image via Associated Press/Mike Stewart)
On the matchup with Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo: For the longest time, [I’ve] been one of his biggest fans. As a player, I would’ve loved to have played for him. Not only his commitment to his players on the court, but his commitment to his players off the court, and to his university and community. I think he teaches life through basketball, and that’s something that I experienced at Carolina through Coach Smith. When I see Coach Izzo, it reminds me a lot of Coach Smith. It’s an honor and a privilege to be on the sideline alongside him.
On the team practicing at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte: It’s really cool. Johnson C. Smith is where my parents went to school. That’s where they met, and they decided to get married and have Hubert Jr. To be able to go back there and to practice at Johnson C. Smith was a really big deal. I got to film some of our practice and send it to my dad. My dad went to South Mecklenburg [High School], grew up in Pineville, N.C. He was the first group of high school students to integrate public schools in Mecklenburg County. He went to Johnson C. Smith, and now his son is the head coach of the University of North Carolina and they’re practicing there before the NCAA Tournament. So it’s a pretty cool deal, and I’m glad we were able to experience that.
On Paxson Wojcik facing off against his father, Doug, an assistant at Michigan State: The Wojcik family, you can’t ask for a more connected family to be around. Even on the off days that Coach Wojcik could, he’d come and fly in to come see Paxson play, whether it was on the road or at home. Being able to go out there and compete against each other, it’s something that they’ve done before [when Paxson was at Brown], and I don’t think it’s an issue. It’s Michigan State versus North Carolina, and it’ll be a good game tomorrow.
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