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Michigan St. looks to get over hump vs. North Carolina

Mar 17, 2007 - 2:13 PM Michigan St (23-11) at North Carolina (29-6) 8:20 pm EDT

Winston-Salem, North Carolina (Ticker) -- North Carolina may be the top seed in the East Region, but Tom Izzo has history in his favor.

Izzo and ninth-seeded Michigan State will try to send the top-seeded Tar Heels home early when they face off on Saturday in a second round matchup in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament.

Under Izzo, the Spartans have posted a commanding 11-1 showing in the second game of the Tournament following just one day of rest, with the lone defeat against Texas in the 2003.

Raymar Morgan had 14 points and nine rebounds and Drew Neitzel scored 12 for Michigan State (23-11), which rolled to a 61-49 triumph in its opening round game vs. eighth-seeded Marquette two days ago.

Since the field extended to 64 teams in 1985, MSU has an impressive 8-3 record in second-round games, including six straight wins with Izzo on the sidelines.

North Carolina (29-6) posted an 86-65 victory over 16th-seeded Eastern Kentucky with sophomore Tyler Hansbrough scoring 21 points to lead the charge.

Carolina is undefeated in three games against the Spartans in the NCAA Tournament, including an 87-71 triumph during coach Roy Williams' 2005 title run in their last matchup in the Final Four.

The Tar Heels holds a stellar 20-1 mark in NCAAs in contest played in the state of North Carolina, with the lone setback coming in Raleigh in 1979 to Pennsylvania.