Spartans Pull Away From Heels, 74-58

Thursday, November 27

Fort Myers, Fla.

4:30 p.m.

North Carolina

6-1,0-0ACC

Michigan State

7-0,0-0Big Ten

Michigan St.

North Carolina

Caleb Wilson

Photo by: Maggie Hobson

November 27, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (.pdf)Lucas: Rapid Reactions Media Central

By: Matt Bowers

FORT MYERS, FLA.— No. 11 Michigan State's defense stifled 16th-ranked North Carolina to a season-low scoring total and beat the Tar Heels, 74-58, on Thanksgiving Thursday afternoon in the finale of the Fort Myers Tip-Off at Suncoast Credit Union Arena.

The Spartans shot 62.1 percent from the floor and outscored Carolina, 41-30, in the second half after leading by just five points at intermission.

The Tar Heels were 1 for 11 from three-point range (9.1 percent) after halftime and finished 4 for 23 from long range (17.4 percent) in the game.

The Spartans beat Carolina for the second year in a row and improved to 7-0 this season. UNC fell to 6-1.

Jeremy Fears Jr. led all scorers with 19 points on 8 of 10 shooting with seven assists and five rebounds for Michigan State. Big man Carson Cooper added 14 points and six boards with Cameron Ward scoring 11 and Jaxon Kohler posting 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Caleb Wilson had four monster dunks and scored 18 points with seven boards to lead the Tar Heels. Henri Veesaar also impressed with 13 points and six rebounds, with Luka Bogavac adding 11 points and a team-high five assists despite missing 5 of 6 three-point attempts

The first half was a gritty struggle where neither team led by more than five in the first 10+ minutes, featuring choppy momentum swings between the two teams. Carolina then mounted an 8-0 run, followed by a 13-0 Spartan run in the later portions of the half.

MSU led, 33-28, at halftime before outscoring the Tar Heels, 41-30 in the second half. The Spartans held Carolina without a field goal in the final 4:15 as they sealed the win.

Michigan State out-rebounded UNC, 37-30, including 25-18 on the defensive boards. MSU reserves scored 20 points while Carolina's bench managed only five points (three from Jonathan Powell and two from Zayden High).

How It Happened
First Half
• Before the first timeout, Wilson scored six of Carolina's first eight points on two thunderous dunks and two free throws, adding a rebound and a steal for a standout start to the game.
• Jonathan Powell drained a three-pointer and Jarin Stevenson followed on the next possession with a layup, giving Carolina an 8-0 run to take a 22-15 lead with 7:41 left in the first half.
• The Tar Heel defense forced MSU to miss 10 of 11 shots during a scoring drought of 3:49.
• The Spartans responded immediately with an 13-0 run to retake the lead at 28-22 at the final media timeout, holding Carolina scoreless for a span of 4:24.
• Both defenses played well in the first half, as UNC shot only 33.3 percent from the floor as a team and MSU was at 41.9 percent.
• Michigan State out-rebounded Carolina, 22-17, in the first half.

Second Half
• Veesaar scored Carolina's first nine points of the second half.
• The pace of the second half was much faster than the more sluggish first 20 minutes. The teams traded baskets in the first 10 minutes after intermission, with MSU starting 9 for 16 (56.3 percent) to hold off the Tar Heels and slightly expand its lead to 53-46 with 10:43 left to play.
• Carolina rallied by the under-8:00 media timeout, cutting the Spartan lead to 55-52 with 7:49 remaining.
• Michigan State used a 9-0 run to post its biggest lead to 64-52 at a timeout with 5:17 to play.
• MSU held Carolina without a field goal in the final 4:15 to pull away and win, 74-58.

Notes
• The game marked the third time in the last four years Carolina has played a game on Thanksgiving Day (2022-23 in Portland, Ore., and in 2023-24 in The Bahamas).
• Carolina and Michigan State met for the third year in a row (also in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and 2024-25 Maui Invitational).
• Fort Myers is the 13th city to host a game between UNC and Michigan State, joining (in chronological order) Kansas City, Mo., Raleigh, N.C., East Lansing, Chapel Hill, Lahaina, Maui, Greensboro, N.C., St. Louis, Mo., Winston-Salem, N.C., Detroit, San Diego, Calif., (aboard the USS Carl Vinson), Portland, Ore., and Charlotte, N.C.

Up Next
Carolina will return to action when it visits Kentucky next Tuesday (December 2) at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN in the ACC/SEC Challenge.