West Region: No. 9 Michigan State vs. No. 1 North Carolina
Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty ImagesMost people were picking against Tom Izzo and the Spartans in this game. Michigan State was woefully inconsistent all year long, and doubts have been creeping up as to whether the game may have passed Izzo by. Well, whether motivated by the haters or not, Michigan State played some very inspired basketball. They took Mississippi State out of what it wanted to do offensively, winning the game by 18 in a contest that wasn’t even that close.
Slowing down North Carolina is a whole other beast completely. Michigan State has some familiarity with the Tar Heels, and as such will not be fearing them. You can expect the Spartans to show a hard double on Armando Bacot whenever he touches the ball. From there, it’ll be up to Carolina’s shooters to make MSU pay from deep. Keeping RJ Davis in check will also be massive. In the end, North Carolina has too much talent and will win what should be a competitive contest.
Prediction: North Carolina
