By R.L. Bynum
No. 11 Michigan State (5–0) vs. No. 16 North Carolina (6–0)
When: 4:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Suncoast Credit Union Arena, Fort Myers, Fla.; it’s the home court of Florida SouthWestern State College, a junior college.
What: Fort Myers Tip-Off (Beach Division)
Tuesday’s games: Michigan State beat East Carolina 89–56, and UNC knocked off St. Bonaventure 85–70
TV: Fox: Adam Amin play-by-play and Jim Jackson analyst
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app);
Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Hansbrough analyst
Line: Michigan State -2½
Over/under: 151½
Event details: In its eighth year, it’s not a tournament but a schedule of two games for each participant. The event features two men’s divisions: Beach (UNC, Michigan State, East Carolina and St. Bonaventure) and Palms (Bucknell, Bowling Green, VMI and Buffalo). The Beach Division played Tuesday and plays again Thursday, and the Palms Division played Monday and again on Wednesday. There are also two women’s divisions playing Friday and Saturday: Island (Butler, Dayton, Kansas and Georgia) and Shell (Abilene Christian, Northwestern, Missouri and Bradley).
Coaches: Tom Izzo (742–302 in 31 seasons at Michigan State) and Hubert Davis (106–45 in five seasons, all at UNC)
UNC projected starters: Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac, Jarin Stevenson, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar (none played for Carolina last season)
Series: UNC leads 13–5; 9–3 at neutral sites (see list below)
Michigan State results
Oct. 23: 75–55 exhibition win vs. Bowling Green
Oct. 28: 76–69 exhibition loss at No. 5 UConn
Nov. 3: 80–69 win vs. Colgate
Nov. 8: 69–66 win vs. No. 22 Arkansas
Nov. 8: 79–60 win vs. San Jose State
Nov. 18: 83–66 win in New York over No. 19 Kentucky
Nov. 21: 84–56 win over Detroit Mercy
Tuesday: 89–56 win in Fort Myers, Fla., over East Carolina
Projected Michigan State starters
No. 0 | C | Jaxon Kohler | 6–10, 245 | senior
— Physical player who will create challenges for Henri Veesaar.
— Scored 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against San Jose State, the most rebounds for a Spartan since Miles Bridges had 21 in 2018.
— Against ECU, he had 16 points and made all three 3-point attempts.
No. 55 | F | Coen Carr | 6–6, 230 | junior
— Has a 39-inch vertical jump and 51.5 inches on the run.
— Led the team with 10 dunks entering the ECU game.
— Second on team in assists and third in rebounding
No. 15 | C | Carson Cooper | 6–1, 245 | senior
— He’s played 108 games, the 13th-most in the country by a player at his current school.
— Scored career-high 17 points and had seven rebounds against San Jose State.
No. 1 | G | Jeremy Fears Jr. (top photo) | 6–2, 190 | sophomore
— Leads the country with 10.4 assists per game. Had a career-high 13 against Kentucky and nine Tuesday against East Carolina in 24 minutes.
No. 9 | G | Trey Fort | 6–4, 200 | senior | Samford transfer
— Was All-Southern Conference Second team last season after averaging 14.6 points per game.
— Played one season each at Mississippi State and UT Martin.
— Scored season-high 13 points with three 3-pointers against Kentucky.
Storylines
— Battle of unbeatens: Both teams are 6–0 and ranked in the top 16, and the winner will boost its early-season NCAA tournament resume.
— Big-man battle: Henri Veesaar vs. Jaxon Kohler: Who controls inside play offensively and defensively will dictate second-chance points and rebounding. Both are good perimeter shooters but Kohler is the more physical player.
— Four spot: Caleb Wilson vs. Carson Cooper: If Wilson gets going, UNC could exploit mismatches and wear down MSU’s big men.
— Point guards: Kyan Evans vs. Jeremy Fears Jr.: It will be a battle of who dictates pace that will determine flow and transition opportunities. It will be important for UNC that Evans stay out of foul trouble.
— Tempo and turnovers: UNC had 11 first-half turnovers vs. St. Bonaventure before cleaning it up; MSU forced 24 turnovers against East Carolina.
— Shooting surge: Spartans hit 13 3-pointers against the Pirates; Tar Heels shot 53% in the second half Tuesday.
Notes
— Carolina is playing on Thanksgiving Day for the third time in four seasons. The Tar Heels played in Portland in 2022 and in The Bahamas in 2023.
— Spartans coach Tom Izzo says that the UNC game will be a good measuring stick for his team. Read about his comments regarding the matchup here.
— Michigan State has won its first six games for the first time since the 2020–21 season. That team lost to UCLA in the First Four.
— At 6–0, Carolina is off to its best start since the 2016–17 national championship team won its first seven games.
— The Spartans scored a season-high 89 points against ECU as the program moved to 166–47 all-time in November.
— Doug Wojcik, a former UNC assistant coach (2000–03), is in his eighth season on Izzo’s staff. His son Denham is a 6-3 graduate guard who transferred in the offseason from Harvard.
— Fort Myers is the 13th site for a UNC-Michigan State game. Previously, the programs have met in Kansas City, Raleigh, East Lansing, Chapel Hill, Lahaina (Hawai’i), Greensboro, St. Louis, Winston-Salem, Detroit, aboard the USS Carl Vinson off the shore of San Diego, Portland (Oregon) and Charlotte.
— A year ago this week at the Maui Invitational, UNC rallied from deficits of 14 points in the first half and nine at halftime to force overtime on a Seth Trimble 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left in regulation. The Tar Heels were 2 of 8 from the floor in overtime, though, and the Spartans won 94–91.
— UNC scored 50 second-half points against St. Bonaventure, the fourth time this season the Tar Heels scored 50 or more points in a half.
— The Tar Heels lead the country in two-point field goal percentage defense (35.7%) and is fourth in effective field goal percentage (40.2%).
— Carolina is fifth in the country in field-goal percentage defense at 34.3%.— Four of the six UNC opponents have shot under 40%. Kansas shot a season-high 48.1% in Carolina’s 87–74 win.
— UNC is 10th in the country in rebounding (45.8 per game), 21st in rebound margin (plus 12.2) and 23rd in scoring margin (plus 23.2).
UNC season statistics
Michigan State season statistics
Statistical comparison
| Category | UNC | MSU |
| Points per game | 87.5 | 80.7 |
| Scoring defense | 64.3 | 62.2 |
| Scoring margin | +23.2 | +18.5 |
| FG% | 48.1% | 46.4% |
| 3P FG % | 34.0% | 32.8% |
| 3P per game | 8.8 | 7.5 |
| FT% | 72.1% | 69.9% |
| FG% defense | 34.3% | 38.0% |
| 3FG% defense | 31.8% | 29.5% |
| Opponent 3P/game | 7.8 | 7.3 |
| Rebounds per game | 45.8 | 43.2 |
| Rebounding margin | +12.7 | +13.7 |
| Assists per game | 17.7 | 21.2 |
| Turnovers per game | 11.7 | 11.5 |
| Assist-to-turnover ratio | 1.5 | 1.8 |
| Turnovers forced/game | 11.0 | 14.0 |
| Blocks per game | 5.2 | 5.2 |
| Steals per game | 6.5 | 8.6 |
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | MSU |
| Overall ranking | 21 | 18 |
| Offensive efficiency | 118.7 (37) | 117.3 (50) |
| Defensive efficiency | 97.6 (20) | 93.7 (8) |
| Effective FG% | 55.4 (76) | 52.4 (139) |
| Turnover % | 16.0 (108) | 16.6 (126) |
| Offensive rebound % | 37.2 (51) | 41.7 (11) |
| FTA/FGA | 47.5 (37) | 36.7 (181) |
| Strength of schedule | 301 | 208 |
Series: UNC 13, Michigan State 5
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Duke | 10–1 | 21–2 | 3 |
| No. 20 Clemson | 10–1 | 20–4 | 30 |
| No. 18 Virginia | 9–2 | 20–3 | 16 |
| N.C. State | 9–2 | 18–6 | 27 |
| No. 14 North Carolina | 7–3 | 19–4 | 24 |
| Miami | 7–3 | 18–5 | 37 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 7–4 | 17–6 | 17 |
| SMU | 5–5 | 16–7 | 34 |
| California | 5–6 | 17–7 | 60 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–6 | 16–8 | 55 |
| Florida State | 4–6 | 11–12 | 95 |
| Stanford | 4–7 | 15–9 | 70 |
| Syracuse | 4–7 | 13–11 | 68 |
| Wake Forest | 2–8 | 11–12 | 67 |
| Boston College | 2–8 | 9–14 | 148 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–9 | 11–13 | 151 |
| Notre Dame | 2–9 | 11–13 | 89 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–9 | 9–15 | 122 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
N.C. State 82, Virginia Tech 71
No. 18 Virginia 72, Syracuse 59
No. 24 Louisville 88, Wake Forest 80
Miami 74, Boston College 68
SMU 86, Pittsburgh 67
Florida State 82, Notre Dame 79
No. 14 North Carolina 71, No. 4 Duke 68
No. 20 Clemson 77, California 55
Stanford 95, Georgia Tech 72
Monday’s game
N.C. State at No. 24 Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
No. 14 North Carolina at Miami, 7 p.m., ESPN
No. 18 Virginia at Florida State, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Notre Dame at SMU, 7 p.m., ACC Network
No. 4 Duke at Pittsburgh, 9 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday’s games
Virginia Tech at No. 20 Clemson, ACC Network
California at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Wake Forest at Georgia Tech, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Stanford at Boston College, 9 p.m., ESPNU
Saturday, Feb. 14, games
No. 20 Clemson at No. 4 Duke, noon, ESPN
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame, noon, The CW
California at Boston College, noon, ACC Network
Pittsburgh at No. 14 North Carolina, 2 p.m., ESPN
Florida State at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at Syracuse, 2 p.m., The CW
No. 24 Louisville vs. Baylor in Fort Worth, Texas, 4 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
Stanford at Wake Forest, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Miami at N.C. State, 4 p.m., ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
No. 18 Virginia vs. Ohio State in Nashville, 8 p.m., Fox
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 16 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 11 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 10 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 18 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | W, 71–68 | vs. No. 4 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 24 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 20 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photos courtesy of Intersport
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