I took in the Carolina-Michigan State second-round game Saturday night in Winston-Salem. UNC was challenged in the 81-67 win, but they didn't back down from a team that was more than willing to take it to them. That's an excellent sign for this team heading to the Sweet 16.

No one has ever questioned Carolina's talent. The Tar Heels have the ability to compete with any team in the country. That is a given.

But from time to time in this 30-6 season, the toughness of this team has been debated. Even some of the players late in the season have wondered whether North Carolina had that physical and mental toughness to win the National Championship.

On Saturday night, North Carolina went up against a Michigan State team that prides itself on how tough they are. The persona of Michigan State basketball is strength and force and trying to impose their physical will on the opposition.

In this competitive second-round match-up, Carolina went toe-to-toe with the Spartans and in the end out-slugged and out-fought them.

Michigan State came to play and they were in the game late, but Carolina had more talent and in the end, yes, the Tar Heels were tougher.

"Our kids showed a tremendous amount of toughness today," said coach Roy Williams.

And this didn't surprise those who play the game.

"We've known within our locker room that we're tough," said reserve guard Wes Miller, who was one of the many who harassed Michigan State star Drew Neitzel into a 9-for-27 shooting performance. "Maybe we haven't shown it at times, but we're proving it now."

Michigan State is known for its rebounding. Their rebounding drills in practice are well known, but Carolina clobbered them on the boards by a 40 to 29 margin. How bad you want the basketball shows in the rebounding numbers, and how North Carolina is scrapping on the boards is a good sign for them heading to the next level of the tournament.

"This team is really starting to take challenges head-on," defensive specialist Marcus Ginyard said. "Being tough mentally, executing our game plan, and getting what we want."

Nobody has ever questioned the toughness by the rugged sophomore Tyler Hansbrough. At about the 12-minute mark, Hansbrough, who's worn a protective mask the last four games to protect his broken nose, said he'd had enough of that thing and off it came.

"I was fed up with it," Hansbrough told us afterward. "I felt comfortable taking it off. It was one of those things where I was trying to wear it this game, and if we win and advance to the next game, I would have taken it off anyway. But I felt more comfortable with it off."

Hansbrough unmasked was a pure brute. He went right at Michigan State for 33 points and nine rebounds. He was relentless. What was interesting was the way the media who cover Michigan State on a regular basis were raving about Hansbrough. They say there's no one like him in the Big Ten.

He's just so physical, so strong, and so aggressive. If defenses try to pound him, he just pounds them back. Broken nose or no broken nose, with or without a mask, he is just relentless.He loves contact and never backs down which Michigan State saw first hand.

"When he took the mask off, he put the cape on," a smiling Ginyard said. "I'm loving the way he's playing with or without the mask."

"He's a man among boys," added fellow sophomore Danny Green. "He's just out there doing what he does. He's a big-time player."

And Hansbrough is not Carolina's only big -ime player. Freshman Ty Lawson is playing with such quickness and confidence, it seems like he can do what he wants anytime he wants. He had 20 points, six assists and just one turnover against Michigan State. And with the Heels clinging to a three-point lead with under six  minutes to play, he drilled the three and Michigan State could not recover.

And becoming a force down the stretch is senior Reyshawn Terry. Remember that clutch run he had against N.C. State in the ACC championship game? He did it again Saturday night, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the final seven minutes.

Terry was sick before the game with a headache and fever, but he sucked it up, fought through it and added another element of toughness.

"Early on, it was kind of tough, because every time I'd run, my head was banging a little bit," Terry said. "But I tried not to think about that and worry about the game .I was like, 'Rey, you've got to play this game -- it could be the last game for us.'"

And Terry is doing what seniors do -- showing that he's not afraid to take the big shots and make big shots.

Another thing in North Carolina's favor heading to East Rutherford, N.J. is their depth. Roy Williams is still playing a lot of people, but his bench players aren't getting as many minutes. For instance, Hansbrough was in for 38 minutes and Lawson played 36. Still though, seven minutes here for Wes Miller, eight there for Danny Green, 13 for Deon Thompson, five for Alex Stepheson -- all have an affect on opposition who can't counter that.

North Carolina rotated at least four guys on Drew Neitzel, and he was spent at the games' end.

"Everybody's getting in the game, giving us positive life, wearing other teams down that might not be as deep," says Ginyard, who's getting quite a few minutes now because of his defensive play. "When you have that advantage, it's a great feeling. You can put five new guys in and keep that level of intensity."

So North Carolina was challenged and they had answers. A hard second-round game tells more about a team than a blowout. Sometimes a lopsided win gives the false sense of security. Winning a dogfight in this tournament proves another can be won, if it comes along.

After Sunday, only 16 teams will be left. If you look at the talent level, and North Carolina's as good, if not better, than any.

Now it looks like you can add toughness to that talent.