Off the cuff: Michigan State is good. This was a two-point game at 48-46 with less than 16 minutes to play. It was a team effort with Bacot doing his normal positive things and RJ Davis getting 20 again. The difference may have been the supporting cast. Harrison Ingram, who scored 17 poiunts, tied his career high with five threes. Cormac Ryan scored in double figures for the 20th time this season. Elliot Cadeau had a plus/minus of 20, which means the Tar Heels outscored Michigan State by 20 points when he was on the floor. And Seth Trimble blocked two shots and disrupted others. The recipe is for Bacot and Davis to do their usual things and for the others - particularly the four mentioned above - to play up to their abilities. It was another Tar Heel that Bacot called out as instrumental to the win - Paxson Wojcik. "What really changed for us defensively was Paxson coming in. I thought he really made a huge impact on us, and he really got us going. For him to come in like that and step up when his number's called speaks volumes about guys being ready to play on our team." RJ Davis pointed out Trimble's defense. "Seth is the best defender in the ACC and one of the best defenders in the country. Just his impact on the defensive end has been huge for us all year, especially today's game," he said adding that Trimble was challenged with covering Tyson Walker at times. "I think he did a great of making it hard for him, being physical on the catch, getting over screens." |
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