Michigan State vs North Carolina College Basketball Odds 2011 Carrier Classic: The 2011-12 college basketball season got started earlier this week with the opening rounds of the 2K Sports Classic benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer at several campus sites; but if there's an official opening, it's Friday's inaugural Quicken Loans Carrier Classic between the No. 1 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels and Michigan State Spartans. The game, that tips off at 7:05 P.M. ET will be played at an unusual venue; the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, currently docked in San Diego, Calif. The Tar Heels are installed 10 1/2-chalk College Basketball Odds favorites at most offshore sports shops with a combined score (over/under) total of 135.
North Carolina is ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls for 2011, returning al five starters from last year's team. The Tar Heels went 29-8 last season, won the 2011 ACC regular season championship with a 14-2 league record and reached the NCAA Tournament East Regional final.
Tar Heels' Sophomore forward Harrison Barnes is a preseason first-team All-America selection by the Sporting News, while senior center Tyler Zeller is a preseason second-team All-American. Junior forward John Henson has blocked 178 shots through his first two seasons, the previous mark for a Tar Heel through his sophomore season was Rasheed Wallace with 156. Sophomore guard Kendall Marshall became just the second Tar Heel freshman to ever lead the ACC in assists.
Michigan State, coached by Tom Izzo, return two starters from a team that made the NCAA Tournament for the 14th straight season last year. Senior forward Draymond Green averaged 12.6 points in 2011, ranking best on the team, while leading the Spartans in rebounding and assists. On the season, Green led MSU in rebounding in 25 games, in assists in 18 games and in scoring six times. There are just two players on the 2011-12 roster (Keith Appling and Green) who averaged more than 20 minutes per game last season. Conversely, seven players on the roster have never played a minute for Michigan State (Russell Byrd, Branden Dawson, Alex Gauna, Brandan Kearney, Travis Trice, Keenan Wetzel, Brandon Wood).
The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with Michigan State, 10-3, and have won five games in a row in the series. Roy Williams is 5-0 as Carolina's head coach against Michigan State and 5-1 overall, the loss when coaching Kansas. The Tar Heels beat the Spartans 89-82 in their most recent meeting on Dec. 1, 2009 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Chapel Hill.
College Basketball Odds: North Carolina -10 1/2, Total (over/under) 135
