University of North Carolina Athletics
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Lucas: Michigan State Rapid Reactions
November 27, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from the Fort Myers Tip-Off finale.
By Adam Lucas
1. Frustrating second half for Carolina as Michigan State won a 74-58 decision in Fort Myers. Carolina didn't make a field goal over the final four minutes and remains without a multi-game Thanksgiving week event title since Maui in 2016.
2. In the decisive part of the second half, the Spartans simply did a much better job of creating good shots than Carolina did. The Spartans shot a blistering 59.3 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes. Carolina hit 45.8 percent but forced some three-pointers in some important situations. The Heels ended the day with a season-worst 38.2 percent from the field, a season-worst 17.4 percent from three, and a season-low nine assists.
3. And that was on a night that the three-pointers weren't falling. The Tar Heels made 4-for-23Â from the arc while making 17-for-32 on two-point shots..Â
4. At the 7:41 mark in the first half, Carolina had a 22-15 lead. At that point, the Heels had attempted just five of their 17 shots from three-point range. Over the next 22 minutes, the Tar Heels took 16 of their 34 shots from three-point range and watched Michigan State outscore them 49-30. Eighteen of Carolina's final 38 shots were three-pointers.
5. The possession that encapsulated the second half came with three minutes left. Carolina allowed Carson Cooper to shoot an open jumper from the right side of the court, a midrange opening that had been very productive for the Spartans in the second half as the Heels struggled to defend the pick and roll. Cooper had a rare miss, but every Tar Heel stood and watched as Coen Carr flew in to grab the rebound and dunk it home. Michigan State finished the game 26-for-50 on two-point shots. Carolina had entered the game as the best two-point defense team in the country, limiting opponents to just 35.7 percent from close range. Tom Izzo's team had 46 points in the paint and now has 96 points in the paint in the last two meetings with Carolina, with the other coming last year in Maui.
6. Jeremy Fears Jr. got the better of the point guard battle with Kyan Evans. Fears scored a career-high 19 points while handing out seven assists; Evans scored just four and was -24 in the game. Seth Trimble would have helped in that game; the Heels needed someone who could penetrate and score at the rim or get fouled. Trimble's defense on Fears also would have been an asset.
7. It was no secret that Michigan State was going to hammer the offensive glass, and they had good success in that department in the first half when the Tar Heels had to play long stretches without Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson, both of whom were hit with two fouls. The Spartans grabbed nine first half offensive boards and turned it into eight points in a half they led by five. Carolina did a better job in that category in the second half (MSU had just three offensive rebounds in the second half), but that was partially because they were getting what they wanted offensively and missed just 11 shots in the half.
8. Some of the best minutes of the season for Jonathan Powell in the first half. The West Virginia transfer had a team-high six rebounds, including three offensive. He also made a three-pointer. The Heels expect Powell to eventually shoot the ball more consistently, but that type of energy will get him more playing time. Ultimately, though, the UNC bench managed just five points and was outscored 20-5 by the Spartan bench.
9. That reserve rotation continues to develop. Hubert Davis went to James Brown as his first post substitute as he continued to try and battle the Spartans on the boards. That move seemed to ignite Zayden High, who grabbed a couple of offensive rebounds and scored a basket in his four first half minutes.
10. In a week that's seen some lackluster environments for some big matchups at neutral sites, Carolina and Michigan State had big turnouts in Fort Myers. With the tiny gym (3,500 capacity) split 50-50 between the two schools and every team filled, it had a Maui-type atmosphere.
11. Tar Heel-Spartan connections abounded in Fort Myers. For one of the very few times in his career, longtime UNC chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz was on the other side from the Heels, as he attended as the president of Michigan State. Spartans athletic director J Batt is a former UNC soccer player who was on the 2001 national title team, and MSU reserve Denham Wojcik's brother is former Tar Heel Paxson (which of course means his dad is former UNC assistant Doug).
12. The setting in Fort Myers--which became the 13th different city to play host to a Carolina-Michigan State game, as the two programs have spanned the country to face each other--allowed numerous Florida Tar Heels to get a look at their favorite team. One of those was former Carolina standout John Henson, who is working his way into the media after playing eight years in the NBA but was in attendance solely as a fan. In addition to Tyler Hansbrough on the call for the Tar Heel Sports Network, former Hansbrough teammates Marcus Ginyard and Dewey Burke were also in the building.Â
13. Carolina is staying in Fort Myers tonight to celebrate Thanksgiving together and then will return home tomorrow morning. This challenging stretch continues on Tuesday night at Kentucky.
1. Frustrating second half for Carolina as Michigan State won a 74-58 decision in Fort Myers. Carolina didn't make a field goal over the final four minutes and remains without a multi-game Thanksgiving week event title since Maui in 2016.
2. In the decisive part of the second half, the Spartans simply did a much better job of creating good shots than Carolina did. The Spartans shot a blistering 59.3 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes. Carolina hit 45.8 percent but forced some three-pointers in some important situations. The Heels ended the day with a season-worst 38.2 percent from the field, a season-worst 17.4 percent from three, and a season-low nine assists.
3. And that was on a night that the three-pointers weren't falling. The Tar Heels made 4-for-23Â from the arc while making 17-for-32 on two-point shots..Â
4. At the 7:41 mark in the first half, Carolina had a 22-15 lead. At that point, the Heels had attempted just five of their 17 shots from three-point range. Over the next 22 minutes, the Tar Heels took 16 of their 34 shots from three-point range and watched Michigan State outscore them 49-30. Eighteen of Carolina's final 38 shots were three-pointers.
5. The possession that encapsulated the second half came with three minutes left. Carolina allowed Carson Cooper to shoot an open jumper from the right side of the court, a midrange opening that had been very productive for the Spartans in the second half as the Heels struggled to defend the pick and roll. Cooper had a rare miss, but every Tar Heel stood and watched as Coen Carr flew in to grab the rebound and dunk it home. Michigan State finished the game 26-for-50 on two-point shots. Carolina had entered the game as the best two-point defense team in the country, limiting opponents to just 35.7 percent from close range. Tom Izzo's team had 46 points in the paint and now has 96 points in the paint in the last two meetings with Carolina, with the other coming last year in Maui.
6. Jeremy Fears Jr. got the better of the point guard battle with Kyan Evans. Fears scored a career-high 19 points while handing out seven assists; Evans scored just four and was -24 in the game. Seth Trimble would have helped in that game; the Heels needed someone who could penetrate and score at the rim or get fouled. Trimble's defense on Fears also would have been an asset.
7. It was no secret that Michigan State was going to hammer the offensive glass, and they had good success in that department in the first half when the Tar Heels had to play long stretches without Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson, both of whom were hit with two fouls. The Spartans grabbed nine first half offensive boards and turned it into eight points in a half they led by five. Carolina did a better job in that category in the second half (MSU had just three offensive rebounds in the second half), but that was partially because they were getting what they wanted offensively and missed just 11 shots in the half.
8. Some of the best minutes of the season for Jonathan Powell in the first half. The West Virginia transfer had a team-high six rebounds, including three offensive. He also made a three-pointer. The Heels expect Powell to eventually shoot the ball more consistently, but that type of energy will get him more playing time. Ultimately, though, the UNC bench managed just five points and was outscored 20-5 by the Spartan bench.
9. That reserve rotation continues to develop. Hubert Davis went to James Brown as his first post substitute as he continued to try and battle the Spartans on the boards. That move seemed to ignite Zayden High, who grabbed a couple of offensive rebounds and scored a basket in his four first half minutes.
10. In a week that's seen some lackluster environments for some big matchups at neutral sites, Carolina and Michigan State had big turnouts in Fort Myers. With the tiny gym (3,500 capacity) split 50-50 between the two schools and every team filled, it had a Maui-type atmosphere.
11. Tar Heel-Spartan connections abounded in Fort Myers. For one of the very few times in his career, longtime UNC chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz was on the other side from the Heels, as he attended as the president of Michigan State. Spartans athletic director J Batt is a former UNC soccer player who was on the 2001 national title team, and MSU reserve Denham Wojcik's brother is former Tar Heel Paxson (which of course means his dad is former UNC assistant Doug).
12. The setting in Fort Myers--which became the 13th different city to play host to a Carolina-Michigan State game, as the two programs have spanned the country to face each other--allowed numerous Florida Tar Heels to get a look at their favorite team. One of those was former Carolina standout John Henson, who is working his way into the media after playing eight years in the NBA but was in attendance solely as a fan. In addition to Tyler Hansbrough on the call for the Tar Heel Sports Network, former Hansbrough teammates Marcus Ginyard and Dewey Burke were also in the building.Â
13. Carolina is staying in Fort Myers tonight to celebrate Thanksgiving together and then will return home tomorrow morning. This challenging stretch continues on Tuesday night at Kentucky.
Players Mentioned
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