Connections in UNC's next tournament game go straight to the top

By Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer

Michigan State Spartans	69
5North Carolina Tar Heels	85
Final

Saturday’s round two matchup between basketball powerhouses North Carolina and Michigan State could be described as the “Kevin Guskiewicz game.”

Guskiewicz started his new role in early March as the president of Michigan State University. He was the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s chancellor from February 2019 until his departure for Michigan State.

“My relationship with him and his family, [he’s] just a terrific person,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said of Guskiewicz. “The time that he served as chancellor at North Carolina was fantastic, but … he’s one of my friends.

“And, I wish him the best at Michigan State, and Michigan State is lucky to have him.”

No. 1 seed North Carolina takes on No. 9 seed Michigan State at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The game airs on CBS.

Davis also complemented Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, who has been the head coach of the Spartans since 1995.

“I, for the longest of times, have been one of his biggest fans,” Davis said of Izzo. “As a player, I would have loved to play for him because it's not only his commitment to his players on the court but his commitment to his players off the court into the university and the community.”

On Friday, Davis discussed freshman guard Elliot Cadeau’s play in the team’s 90-62 win over Wagner in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Cadeau didn’t score in 18 minutes of play. He had three assists and three rebounds along with four turnovers.

“The guard matchups [are] going to be key in determining the outcome of the game,” Davis said.

UNC forward Harrison Ingram defended Cadeau.

“He was a five-star guard coming out, and reclassed up, so he should still be in high school right now,” Ingram said. “For him to be doing what he’s doing, point guard on the No. 1 team in the country, is an accomplishment itself.

“You have games you play good and games you play bad.”

Michigan State has a strong backcourt in seniors Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard. Walker scored a game-high 19 points in the team’s 69-51 win over Mississippi State on Thursday.

“They’re a physical team,” Ingram said. “They’ve got a pretty good guard in Walker … he’s tough. He makes shots off the dribble. [He] makes 3-point shots.”

UNC guard Cormac Ryan described the matchup between two historic teams.

“You can’t ask for anything better in March Madness to go up and play against great teams, great programs and come away with a great win,” Ryan said.

A reporter asked Davis about big man Armando Bacot’s play. Bacot is in his final season playing for the Tar Heels. He’s posted seven consecutive double-doubles in NCAA Tournament play, which ties the records set by Tim Duncan and Akeem Olajuwon (who later changed his first name to Hakeem).

During his time in college, there's a number of things in college basketball that have changed,” Davis said of Bacot. “You talked about the NIL, the transfer portal, the extra COVID year, the involvement of agents, and coming off a pandemic and changing coaches.

“He's had to – we always talk about how do you react and how do you respond specifically to changes, and he's had to deal with that from a number of different directions. So, for him to be able to embrace that and then be able to have the career that he has had, I think that's something to be celebrated for.

Davis commended Bacot’s commitment to the program for the past five years.

“I’m glad he’s a Tar Heel and he always will be,” Davis said of Bacot. “ It's been an honor and a privilege to be one of his coaches for the last five years.”

On Friday, the Tar Heels practiced at Johnson C. Smith University, a private historically Black university in Charlotte.

“[It’s] where my parents went to school,” Davis said. “That’s where they met and decided to get married and have Hubert Jr.

“To be able to go back there and practice at John C. Smith was a really big deal. I got to film some of our practice and send it to my dad.”