16 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 19, 1998 BASKETBALL Road only gets tougher for Michigan State in Sweet 16 North Carolina (32-3) looms for Spartans in Greensboro I 6 GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - The tradition, the big- name players, the tournament success. It's all hard to escape for Michigan State. And if that's not enough, there's the prospect of thou- sands of North Carolina fans along Tobacco Road who will fill Greensboro Coliseum on Thursday night, intent on seeing the Tar Heels move closer to yet another Final Four. Tom Izzo just hopes his team isn't consumed by the Tar Heels' mystique or the pressure of an East Regional semifinal. The Spartans haven't advanced this far since 1990. Now consider North Carolina: 9 9 S The Tar Heels (32-3), top-seeded and ranked No. 1, have been to the round of 16 i16 of the last 18 years. r"When you play a team like this you've dt to realize you're not playing Michael lordan, yo not playing all the trophies, u're just playing them," Izzo said Wednesday. "For the most part this team does not really have a fear actor," added Izzo, whose fourth-seeded team won the 1ig Ten regular-season title and is 22-7. "I don't know if 4i're too young or maybe we have enough competitive Wiids. I would be lying to you if I didn't say we respect Uorth Carolina bigger than anyone we're played all year, t I don't think our guys are afraid of them." -Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State's scoring leader and fgTen player of the year, said even he grew up a North Frolina fan, watching the Tar Heels on television as a 'din Flint. "When you think of North Carolina you think of the eadition, the Jordans, the Worthys, the Stackhouses - down the line," the Spartans' point guard said yes- kerday. "I liked seeing that blue on the TV. It should be Ain to go out and play against them. It's like a dream Tome true." Or a nightmare. The Tar Heels were ranked No. I in the nation for eight team weeks this season and have at many times been a of overpowering experience, skill and flair. "They have a phenomenal outside player in (Shammond) Williams and an inside player in (Antawn) Jamison, and if you try to just worry about those two guys then Carter lives above the rim," Izzo said. "They've got so many ways to hurt you. The only com- parison we have is Michigan, but it's different because (Michigan) is not as athletic. "We need to keep a body on those guys because if we don't it's going to be a dunk-a-thon." North Carolina's mark on the game the last 40 years is etched in the college record books. And Izzo knows what a victory over the Tar Heels would mean. "We're in the building stages and the only way you start to get over the hump is you have to do something that maybe is a little unnatural," Izzo said. "For North Carolina to lose a Sweet 16 game is not the norm. "It would be as big a victory at Michigan State since Magic Johnson won the (1979) national championship." Cleaves, who had 20 and 27 points in his team's first two NCAA Tournament games, is the key. "He's explosive, a strong competitor and he really pushes the ball up the floor," North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge said. "He'll be an NBA player." But with the Tar Heels rotating Ed Cota, Williams and the much-taller Carter on him, Cleaves will be a marked man. "There is no secret that if we don't have other people step up we won't win this basketball game," Izzo said. "But the other part of it is if we don't defend and rebound we won't either." Michigan State will rely on contributions from three other players from Cleaves' native Flint - forwards Antonio Smith and Morris Peterson, and guard Charlie Bell. The Spartans will likely have a rough time when they take on North Carolina tonight in Greensboro. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said his team bet-G ter play defense, or else "it's going to be a dunk-a- thon." SARA STILLMAN/Daily Re Iditcmn~ui1g and Pizza House offer 10 Free Pizzas for the best prediction 1998 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Midwest 1 4 . cabs , . , . A 1. North Carolina ^ North Carolina 8. UNC- Charlotte UC hrot 9. Illinois-Chicago 5.Piinceton Princeton 12. UNLV 1J Mchi an Stale 4,Michi an State Michigan State 13. Eastern Michigan Greensboro Coliseum 3. Soth Carolina Greensboro, NC . Farleihicion SaturdayMhMarch 192&9219 Ri hmodnd 14. Richmond WashinStont 6. Xavier Washington 11.Washington 7.Indiana 10. Oklahoma inia 2. ConnecticutC 15 atihDcisn Connecticut National Semifia innAntinn T West 1. Arizona Aioa 16. Nicholls State Arizona 8. Tennessee 9. llni tt Illinois State 5. Illinois Illinois 12. South Alabama Marland 4. MarylandMryad 13.Utah State Arrowhead Pond 3. UtahAnaheim, CA 3. UtahMarc h 19 & 21 14. San Francisco Ua 6. Arkansas 11. NebraskaAkass 7. Temnple we tVir ii 10. West Virginia West Vir inia 2. Cincinnati 15 Northen Arizona ninai National Championship Game Monday March 30, 1998 Alamodome San Antonio. TX Kansas Rhode Island 8 Rhode Island 1 MoaStStete v a l a ra s o v a ...a s Val3parVasso Kiel Center St. Louis, MO 6 Cemson March 20 & 22 western Michigan 11. Western Michiga Stanfod 14. Chad estn Purdue 2Prd National Semifinal Pudue Saturday March 28, 1998 ---....." - Alamodomne San Antonio, TX South S.Duke Duke DUE8. OklahomaSte Oklahoma State 9George Washin ton 5. Syracuse Syacuse 12. lena Syracuse 4. New1 exic New Mexico Tropicana Field 13. Butler St. Petersburg, FI .Michigan March 20 & 22 Michin UCLA 6. UClA 11.Miam (FL) 7 Massachuset ts Sant towis/ ~~~~2Kentucky 0Sv o l entucky 15,. South Carolina State PEACE CORPS NIE LAW DAY sponsored by the Undergraduate Law Club A Tuesday, March 24 "The Future of Peace Corps: 10,000 by 2000" Featuring Deputy Director Charles Baquet Ill Rackham Bldg., 4th Floor Amphitheater 7:00 p.m. WAMAno A A nreh 71q Nainal reoweolgloxer Nationally renowned legal expert and MSNBC correspondent D.2r Paul Lisnek will hold a FREE one-day program featuring: . Law School CLASSROOM SIMULATION " A full-length PRACTICE LSAT test . T n717 crh1 nlnnd nlmicc;nG nc A 1 qF;T0N :Qr 'A