CHARLOTTE — The two star seniors on North Carolina’s squad — RJ Davis and Armando Bacot — both had strong performances in Saturday night’s 85-69 win over Michigan State, but it was a third Tar Heel who was a true X-factor.
With 17 points and seven rebounds, junior forward Harrison Ingram stepped up in a major way for No. 1 UNC (29-7), hitting five three-pointers and providing his team a strong offensive third option in the Heels’ convincing victory over Tom Izzo and the No. 9 Spartans (20-15).
“For me, it’s all about team basketball. Today I was open and they found me,” Ingram said after the game. “Luckily, I was able to open the shots. For us at UNC, we’re all about the team, and we played together today.”
Ingram played his best game in nearly a month. He created a timely performance for a Tar Heel squad that trailed 28-17 with eight minutes left in the half; UNC soon exploded for an momentum-flipping 23-3 run to lead the Spartans 40-31 at halftime.
After a slight return from MSU in the second half, Carolina went on another strong run to close out the game.
Second-half dagger
A decisive three-pointer from Ingram rattled in with six minutes left, putting the Heels up by a dozen points. That ignited a raucous Carolina-heavy crowd in Charlotte’s Spectrum Center.
“Harrison actually told me yesterday that he was going to put on a big-time performance today,” Bacot said of his teammate. “In games like this when it gets real rowdy and physical and it’s in the trenches, we know it’s a Harry type of game. There was no doubt in our mind he would show up big time for us and hit big-time shots. The way he defended was amazing for us, and we don’t win that without him.”
UNC coach Hubert Davis also had a positive reaction to Ingram’s night.
“His personality lights up the room. As soon as it comes in, his personality and his energy lights up the locker room and the huddle and the court. His personality brings something that nobody on the team can bring. It brings confidence,” Davis said. “It brings joy. It brings happiness, seriousness, and competitiveness. His game and his personality is exactly what this team and this program needed this year.”
Ingram has averaged 12.1 points and 8.9 rebounds during the 2023-24 season.
Both statistics are slight increases over his two seasons at Stanford — before he opted to transfer to Chapel Hill. However, performances like the one he displayed on Saturday night could indicate that his ceiling as a player might be even higher than it has appeared so far.
UNC will now enter the Sweet 16 and play the winner of No. 4 Alabama and No. 12 Grand Canyon.
