UNC adds on to record Sweet 16 appearances with win over Spartans

The North Carolina Tar Heels left no doubt in yesterday’s 85-69, Round of 32 victory over the Michigan State Spartans.

UNC delivered the kind of balanced scoring effort it’ll need to further advance in the NCAA Tournament, with starters RJ Davis (20 points), Armando Bacot (18), Harrison Ingram (17) and Cormac Ryan (14) all scoring in double-figures. Both North Carolina and MSU were four points apart midway through the second half, but the same above starters led a push that eventually distanced UNC for the victory.

This is the type of abbreviated run you love to see for the Tar Heels, who missed the Big Dance entirely last year. After facing some inconsistency, North Carolina looks primed for yet another Natty run.

With its victory, UNC extends its record of Sweet 16 appearances to 31 all-time.

The Tar Heels’ most recent Sweet 16 run came two years ago, when it beat UCLA en route to the 2022 National Championship game. North Carolina was up 15 at halftime of the title game, but Kansas staged a massive comeback to win.

UNC will play in its 31st Sweet 16 on either Thursday, March 28 or Friday, March 29, as it awaits the winner of Alabama and Grand Canyon. The Crimson Tride won last year, 103-101, when the two programs played in the Phil Knight Invitational.

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Story originally appeared on Tarheels Wire