CHARLOTTE – Michigan State put up a good fight against top-seed North Carolina on Saturday at Spectrum Center, but the Tar Heels had too much of everything and advanced in the NCAA Tournament with an 85-69 victory.

The 9-seed Spartans took the fight to the Tar Heels, leading by 12 nearly 12 minutes into the game. And even after a massive UNC run gave it some cushion, legendary MSU Coach Tom Izzie’s club continued scrapping, forcing the Heels to keep working. They did, and used a 14-2 run late in the contest to secure their 29th victory of the season and a spot in the Sweet 16 on Thursday in Los Angeles.

MSU hit 11 of its first 17 shots, and ended up at 44.1 percent. A stretch with Carolina forcing 10 misses in 11 attempts.

RJ Davis led Carolina with 20 points, while Armando Bacot added 18, Harrison Ingram 17, and Cormac Ryan 14 to pace UNC to its 10th win in its last 11 games. The Heels improved to 29-7 and are one win away from their first 30-win season since 2017, the last year UNC won the national championship.

UNC is 29-7 and Michigan State’s season ends with a 20-15 mark.

Here are 5 Takeaways from Carolina’s win over the Spartans: