Opponent: No. 9 Michigan State

Moneyline: UNC (-170)

Michigan State pulled off a slight upset over No. 8 seeded Mississippi State on Thursday, winning 69-51. Sparty's defense forced the Bulldogs to shoot just 37 percent from the floor, as MSU led by double digits early on, and didn't let up throughout.

North Carolina, which earned the No. 1 overall seed despite losing to NC State in the ACC Tournament final, is a force to be reckoned with. The offense is led by RJ Davis (21.4 PPG), and forwards Armando Bacot (14.3 PPG) and Harrison Ingram (12.1 PPG). UNC also ranks seventh in adjusted defensive efficiency.

But Michigan State's big win on Thursday gives them some momentum for this one. There's also the Tom Izzo factor—the longtime Sparty head coach made his 26th straight NCAA Tournament appearance on Thursday, a DI record for a coach at one school.

"Coach has been in this situation," MSU guard Jaden Akins, who had 15 points with seven boards on Thursday, said of Izzo. "He always talks about experience is the best thing to have, and he has a lot of that in this tournament. So we've got all the faith in him to put us in a position, and we just got to go out and do what we do."

Michigan State's defense, which ranks sixth in KenPom's defensive adjusted efficiency, should be a challenge for this UNC team. Last year, Izzo's team upset No. 2 Marquette in the second round. We'll see if the Hall of Fame coach can pull off a shocker against the Tar Heels this time around.

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