Maybe it was just coach-speak when Michigan State’s Tom Izzo insisted that he does not want to get too excited about his 11th-ranked Spartans while heading into a showdown with No. 16 North Carolina on Thursday.
The titanic clash serves the championship game of the Beach Division at the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Fort Myers, Fla.
Michigan State is off to a 6-0 start with two NCAA tournament-boosting wins over Arkansas and Kentucky, but Izzo said he and other teams still are at a feeling-out stage early in the season.
“I’m just not sure where everybody is, and I’m not even sure where we are yet,” Izzo said. “I figure it’s going to take 10 to 12 games to figure out whether some of these wins are big wins, or if those teams aren’t quite good enough. Or maybe those teams get better.
“There is going to be a lot of things that happen and it’s a long, long season, so don’t get fooled where we are.”
Michigan State will attempt to stay unbeaten against a North Carolina (6-0) that owns a victory over Kansas.
Each team won its first game in their four-team division Tuesday, with Michigan State earning an 89-56 victory over East Carolina and North Carolina taking an 85-70 victory over St. Bonaventure.
North Carolina features one of the nation’s top freshmen in 6-foot-10 Caleb Wilson, who is averaging 20.5 points and 10.3 rebounds through six games. Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar (16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds) and returning guard Seth Trimble (14.5 points, 3.5 assists) also are off to fast starts for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis said after the win over St. Bonaventure that he has been impressed with the balance of his team, which will be needed against Michigan State.
“All of our guys are really skilled,” Davis said. “They got a lot in their bag, and I know they can feel like they can make plays and just understanding when to make those plays at the right time to be able to do so.”
Michigan State has received strong point guard play out of Jeremy Fears, who entered Tuesday leading the country in assists per game at 10.2.
Forwards Jaxon Kohler (15.3 points, 9.5 rebounds), and Coen Carr (11.2 points), and center Carson Cooper (10.0 points) supply the core that has led the Spartans so far.
“They are a different team,” Izzo said of North Carolina. “They’ve got a helluva a player in Wilson. I do believe he’s every bit as good as they say. They do have size. They are 6-10 at the wing. But you know, they’ve got to guard us too. I think it will be a great game and a great atmosphere.”
The two teams have some recent history against one another.
North Carolina earned an 85-69 rout of Michigan State in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Last year, the teams played a classic at the Maui Invitational, won 94-91 in overtime by Michigan State in the third-place game.
–Field Level Media
