Armando Bacot, North Carolina excited to gear up for 'tough' Michigan State after cruising in NCAA Tournament opener
North Carolina made light work of Wagner as the No. 1 seeded Tar Heels opened the NCAA Tournament with the usual course of blowing out a No. 16 seed. And with big man Armando Bacot unmatched by anyone on the Seahawks’ roster, it was a relatively straightforward cruise to a 90-62 win.
The Tar Heels never quite had a deciding run or clear stretch to put the game away, instead just methodically building and maintaining a double-digit lead by halftime. All-in-all, Bacot was content with the performance but knows North Carolina has another gear they can, and will need to hit.
With the win, North Carolina moves on to face No. 9 seed Michigan State — coming off a double-digit win over No. 8 seed Mississippi State — on Saturday.
“I thought overall for the game we played good. We made a lot of mistakes, especially early on just trying to get back into playing since the tough game on Saturday,” Bacot said to CBS sideline reporter Allie LaForce. “But overall we’re happy with it and we’re ready to go the drawing board. We know we got a tough Michigan State coming up and we’ve gotta be ready.”
Bacot was mostly unstoppable on Thursday, as the North Carolina career leader in rebounds was unmatched on the glass or down low by any big man on the Wagner roster.
Bacot finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds on a 7-of-13 shooting performance. North Carolina guard R.J. Davis scored a game-high 22 points himself.
And while Bacot knows North Carolina needs to play cleaner and crisper against the Spartans to move on to the Sweet 16, the overall recipe for the Tar Heels should stay the same.
“Really just doing what we’ve been doing all year, setting great screens and just trusting and believing in the teammate,” Bacot said. “And I think that’s what got us this far, so why stop now?”
Michigan State was pleased to be moving on
The Spartans never trailed in the contest, looking like the team that many had projected to be one of the nation’s best in the preseason.
“I mean we just told ourself we needed a chance, really,” guard Jaden Akins told CBS sideline reporter Allie LaForce after the game. “Our season’s been up and down all year, but we said when we get in the tournament it’s a new season, anything can happen. So once we saw our name get called we just knew we had to take care of business first game. That’s what we did.”
The Spartans made 10 3-pointers, with Akins chipping in three of them. Guard Tyson Walker led the way in scoring with 19 points, while Akins chipped in 15 and forward Malik Hall added 10.
Akins had some jaw-dropping plays, including one highlight-reel dunk over Mississippi State defenders.
“I feel I’m an all-around player,” Akins said. “I can make threes, but I’ve got some athleticism too. I feel like I showed that tonight.”