Uncovering the Shocking Truth Behind North Carolina’s Stunning Defeat to Michigan St.

Thanksgiving tipped off with North Carolina brimming with optimism — aiming to replicate the magic of their 2016-17 championship kickoff and snag a prized second victory over a ranked adversary. But what unfurled on the court was less fairy tale and more nightmare, as a relentless Michigan State squad handed the Tar Heels a harsh reality check, stifling their offense and delivering a season-worst 74-58 defeat on neutral turf. This loss wasn’t just a blip; it carried weight, setting the tone for a season that promised much more. Let’s dive into the three pivotal takeaways from UNC’s first stumble, unpacking where things went awry and what it signals going forward. LEARN MORE

The Tar Heels started Thanksgiving Day with lots of hope. They were looking for their best start since the 2016-17 national championship season, and a second win over a ranked team. What they found instead was a hungry Michigan State team that gave them more than they could handle as North Carolina scored a season low in a 74-58 neutral court loss.

So without further ado, here are three takeaways from the Tar Heels first loss of the season.

North Carolina was completely outplayed by Michigan State

It wasn’t even close. The Spartans led the Tar Heels in every major category. Points in the paint: 46-34. Rebounds: 37-30. Assists: 14-9. Blocks: 4-2. Shooting: 52%, 50%, and 82% to 38%, 17%, and 71% for UNC. Michigan State also became the first team to outscore North Carolina in the second half this season and held the Tar Heels to their fewest points since they scored 54 in a win over Virginia back in February of 2024. Additionally, Caleb Wilson’s double-double streak came to an end.

North Carolina did have fewer turnovers and more steals than the Spartans, as well as a 16-11 advantage in fast break points, but that wasn’t enough to overcome everything else.

Poor three-point shooting was hard to overcome

In the early 2000’s there was this underrated Ben Stiller movie called Along Came Polly. One of the characters in the movie is a character played by the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman, named Sandy Lyle. In one unforgettable scene, Lyle is playing basketball with Stiller’s character and couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat, but always would yell “Let it Rain” every time he shot the ball horrendously.

After the three-point performance the Tar Heels put up today it was hard not to think of Hoffman’s Lyle. North Carolina finished the game a robust 4-23 from behind the arc for that aforementioned 17.4% (their worst three-point shooting since they shot 8.7% (2-23) in a win over Notre Dame back in February of 2023) and though a lot of the shots were not nearly as bad as Sandy’s, they went in just as often.

The Tar Heels came in today hitting 34% of their threes. If they do that again they score an extra 12 points and might have even won the game.

If you ever wondered what it was like to play basketball on a hockey rink, you just witnessed it

This was an absolute horrible court to play basketball on. The players in this game slipped and fell so many times I just assumed this was the home of some minor league hockey team. It is not. Suncoast Credit Union Arena is actually the home to the Florida Southwestern State Buccaneers who play both volleyball and basketball in that arena, which means people play there regularly, and since they don’t seem to have the record for injuries, this was just an odd phenomenon.

Not sure why the court was so slippery, but it couldn’t have been a great look for Sketchers who hosted the event and was trying to push their new basketball shoe to see everyone slipping and falling as much as they did, especially with Sketchers being the slip-on shoe company.