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The North Carolina Tar Heels' march in the NCAA Tournament continued as they triumphed over Tom Izzo's Michigan State 85-69 led by RJ Davis' 20 points. The win propelled the Tar Heels into the Sweet 16, maintaining their unbeaten streak in March Madness against Tom Izzo's teams.
After the game, UNC forward Harrison Ingram didn't pull any punches, describing Michigan State's trash talk as "ridiculous."
"I haven’t seen a team talk like that since our scrimmage at the beginning of the year," Ingram said.
"And it was ridiculous. Now they're going home and you see how it got. It fires me up. I love it. Please talk. I hope everybody talks to us. It gets us going," he added.
Ingram excelled, scoring 17 points and grabbing seven rebounds. He also shot 5-of-7 attempts from the 3-point line.
UNC started poorly but answered back, with a 20-2 surge in 10 minutes propelling them ahead, 40–31, at halftime.
Ingram's five 3-pointers were instrumental in securing the victory for the top-seeded Tar Heels, who now boast a 5-0 record against Izzo in the NCAA Tournament.
Tom Izzo calls for change in NCAA Tournament Selection Process
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had mixed views about his team's time in the NCAA tournament, calling it both exhilarating and a reminder of potential flaws in the selection process.
Izzo's sentiments echoed those of St. John's coach Rick Pitino, who advocated for greater involvement of former players and coaches in the selection committee.
"I never know what the NET means, what KenPom means, what ESPN means or the Daily News. There's so many things out there right now that do influence [the committee]," Izzo said.
Izzo's remarks come in the wake of several upsets in conference tournaments among mid-major teams, which intensified the uncertainty surrounding Michigan State's tournament prospects.
The Spartans, with a record of 19-14 overall and 10-10 in the Big Ten, secured the 9-seed in this year's tournament.
