Heels hammer Michigan State

Staff photo by Robert Willett

DETROIT — If North Carolina wants to return here in April, it needs to keep playing like this.

Ty Lawson sped, Tyler Hansbrough dominated and UNC rolled to a 98-63 blowout over No. 13 Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. UNC's win clinched the ACC's 10th straight victory in the challenge. 

The top-ranked Tar Heels (8-0) have now won five of their last six games in the made-for-ESPN event.

But more important to their quest to return to Ford Field for the Final Four, they have now beaten two top-15 teams in the last eight days.

And although the Tar Heels will eventually be tested, they made things look easy again, and rather ho-hum, Wednesday night.

Hansbrough, the All American forward who had missed four of the Tar Heels’ first seven games while resting a stress reaction in his right shin, then a “tweaked” left ankle, started and scored the first six points of the game for Carolina, which never trailed.

The Spartans, behind forward Raymar Morgan and guard Chris Allen, remained scrappy early, cutting their deficit to 33-29 with about six minutes left in the first half when Allen buried a three-pointer. But UNC countered with an 11-4 run — during which five different Tar Heels scored=2
0— to pull away.

And although MSU shot 51.6 percent in the first half — something that couldn’t have made Carolina coach Roy Williams happy — UNC also shot better than 50 percent for the 10th straight half.

Carolina led 53-39 at the break, had a 20-point lead within the first four minutes of the second half, and had 67 points — which was what the Spartans (4-2) had been allowing opponents to average this season — with 13:23 remaining.

And still, the Tar Heels kept coming.

Hansbrough looked as healthy as ever, mixing in jumpers with power moves. His 11 rebounds were a season high, and he also added 25 points, leaving him 35 short of Phil Ford’s career scoring record at UNC.

Lawson, who always enjoys match-ups against other speedsters such as MSU’s Kalin Lucas, didn’t look overly winded after showing off his improved outside game and finishing with 17 points and eight assists.

And shooting guard Wayne Ellington, who had become almost an afterthought early this season, what with Hansbrough’s injury, Deon Thompson’s aggressiveness, Lawson’s speed and Danny Green’s three-point shooting, showed again why he is such a valuable asset. He scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half.