Michigan State stuffed the UNC basketball program's attempt at a second top-25 victory this season.
Tom Izzo and the Spartans once again got the better of Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels to close out the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Thanksgiving afternoon.
Basketball is a game determined by runs. In most instances, teams will trade blows back-and-forth, as it comes down to who can build some momentum and who can stop the bleeding when their opponent makes a charge of its own.
In the first half, North Carolina had some momentum. An 8-0 run put the Tar Heels up seven, but that lead would quickly dwindle away.
Henri Veesaar picked up his second foul with 7:13 remaining in the half. When Veesaar went to the bench, everything shifted in Michigan State's favor, as a seven point Tar Heel lead was erased by a 13-0 Spartan run, giving Michigan State a six-point advantage.
Foul trouble hurt the Tar Heels big time in the first half, as Veesaar, along with Caleb Wilson and James Brown, all had multiple fouls against them. Fortunately, the second half would be a bit different in that regard, as the Tar Heels were able to battle back to as close as three with 9:36 remaining.
However, in this game of scoring runs, it was Michigan State who held the advantage.
What went wrong for UNC
You can't shoot under 20% from three-point range and expect to beat a team of Michigan State's caliber, especially when they shoot 52% from the floor overall. They also can't beat you in the rebounding category, as they did on Thursday afternoon, and their guards showed up to play while North Carolina's failed to capitalize.
Is it time to panic?
Absolutely not.
Think about this: for the first time since his injury, you could watch this team and say, "man, this group misses Seth Trimble."
The Tar Heels have gotten by without him, but his presence was missed more than ever on Thanksgiving Day, but his absence is no excuse to the UNC basketball program losing this game.
This was a game that measured where North Carolina currently is. At the moment, there's still plenty of work to be done.
Sure, the backup center position is a very big concern, but it's not time to solely give up on this team after one loss. Of course, everyone hoped it would be a closer final score than the one we witnessed, but the hope is that the UNC basketball program learns from this one and quickly as they prepare for next week's battle with the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington.