UNC Beats Michigan State to Reach Sweet 16 as March Madness Fans Praise Bacot, Ingram

Featured Columnist IVMarch 24, 2024

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 23: Cormac Ryan #3, Armando Bacot #5 and Harrison Ingram #55 of the North Carolina Tar Heels react to a play during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 23, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

Armando Bacot pacing North Carolina in a win is nothing new. Harrison Ingram playing the role of the complementary star was a bit more of a surprise, however.

The junior forward hit five threes and finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, helping to lead the 1-seed Tar Heels to an 85-69 win over 9-seed Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA men's tournament.

NCAA March Madness @MarchMadnessMBB
Harrison Ingram starting to cook 👀 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> <br><br>📺: <a href="https://t.co/qNCGUkxHwC">https://t.co/qNCGUkxHwC</a> <a href="https://t.co/8rOVy6CTuP">pic.twitter.com/8rOVy6CTuP</a>

NCAA March Madness @MarchMadnessMBB
Harrison Ingram with his 5th triple and the Tar Heels are back up double-digits 🐏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/UNC_Basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNC_Basketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/21Rc9MHSrl">pic.twitter.com/21Rc9MHSrl</a>

Kyle Austin @kylebaustin
Harrison Ingram ties his career-high with 5 3-pointers. He was 7-for-27 from 3 in his last six games

Bacot did his usual work on both ends, notching 18 points, seven boards, three assists and two blocks, while RJ Davis posted 20 points. Malik Hall (17 points, nine rebounds) and Tyson Walker (24 points) had solid efforts for Michigan State in the loss.

But it was the pair of Bacot and Ingram who really helped spark a North Carolina team that trailed 26-14 at one point in the first half and finished the first 20 minutes on a 23-3 run.

NCAA March Madness @MarchMadnessMBB
North Carolina ROARS back in the first half to go up 9 at the break 😮‍💨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="https://t.co/bCXxPcr6MB">pic.twitter.com/bCXxPcr6MB</a>

Social media had nothing but love for the dynamic duo after the game:

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Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie
Armando Bacot has gotten so much better on defense over the course of his career. Deserves so much credit for becoming a legitimate interior defensive anchor for North Carolina and a top-five defense.

Sherrell D. McMillan @RellDMC
Armando Bacot is playing maybe the best all-around basketball of his career.

Matty Lind☘️ @mlind24
Bacot's progression over his time at UNC has been so much fun to watch. He's refined his game so much and is and even more dominant force down low than he was when he got there

Josh Marlow (Fitty) @HTB_Josh
Carolina just climbs to a higher level when Harrison Ingram is scoring the basketball

Candace Cooper @CandaceDCooper
Harrison Ingram, have a game young man

Ivan Corriher @IWCorriher
Ingram is this team's emotional engine. Has been since the Bahamas. The first 3 he hit at down 28-17 and then defensive energy changed the game.

Ryan Hammer🔨 @ryanhammer09
Harrison Ingram been top 30 on my draft board for over a month but at this rate that will be consensus real soon. <br><br>Size, spacing ability, versatile & strong defender. Can throw him into an NBA game tomorrow

It's never a surprise when Bacot and Hunter do their thing—they've led the Tar Heels all season long. Where North Carolina becomes a different beast, however, is when Ingram or Cormac Ryan emerge as a legitimate third option.

The Tar Heels now await the winner of 4-seeded Alabama vs. upstart 13-seed Grand Canyon in the Sweet 16. On the bottom half of the West Region, 2-seed Arizona remains alive.

But getting past Tom Izzo's Michigan State—always a perennial threat in March—was no small task. Davis led the Tar Heels in scoring, but it was Ingram's perimeter shooting that provided a necessary spark after a slow start and Bacot's two-way excellence that helped North Carolina escape the always dangerous Spartans.

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