FORT MYERS, Fla. — For 32 minutes, No. 16 North Carolina looked like a team fighting to stay within striking distance of No. 11 Michigan State. But over the final eight minutes, the Tar Heels’ offense unraveled in dramatic fashion, turning a tight contest into a 74-58 blowout loss in the finale of the Fort Myers Tip-Off at Suncoast Credit Union Arena.

The moment that seemed poised to spark UNC’s final push came with just under nine minutes remaining. Down by five, junior guard Kyan Evans used a screen from Henri Veesaar and drove hard to the rim, muscling through contact for a confident finish off the glass. The Tar Heels had cut the deficit to three — the closest they had been since early in the second half.

Then, the scoring stopped. Completely.

“I’m not sure what happened,” first-year forward Caleb Wilson said afterward. “I feel like Michigan State was just playing hard ass defense.”

It was more than just tough defense — it was a total offensive freeze. Over the final 8:43, UNC managed only six points, all from Wilson. Even more alarming, the Tar Heels failed to make a field goal in the last 4:15. Against an elite and physically imposing Spartans squad, North Carolina posted its lowest second-half scoring total of the season. At the exact moment when execution matters most, the offense simply vanished.

One of the few bright spots in that final stretch came when first-year guard Derek Dixon found Wilson at the top of the key with just over four minutes left. Wilson attacked decisively, rose through contact and finished with force. The bucket trimmed the deficit, raised the energy and suggested that UNC still had life.

But it was the last field goal the Tar Heels would see.

“I just feel like we’ve got to be more aggressive, and it’ll provide more opportunities for everyone,” Wilson said, reflecting on the stagnant closing minutes.

Interestingly, things had started so differently. The Tar Heels opened the second half playing through Veesaar, who delivered nine straight points and ignited hope for another explosive post-halftime performance. This was becoming a pattern — second-half surges against Kansas, North Carolina Central and St. Bonaventure had resulted in 50-point outbursts each time. For a moment, it looked like UNC would find that magic again.

Michigan State never let it happen.

The final eight minutes were littered with sloppy turnovers, forced shots and missed opportunities. UNC attempted only eight shots in that entire span — a sign not only of poor execution but of possessions that stagnated before anything meaningful could develop. Michigan State, on the other hand, shot a blistering 8-for-11 during the same period, turning every mistake into punishment.

Junior guard Luka Bogavac struggled to fill the void left by injured senior Seth Trimble, whose slashing ability and pace have been central to UNC’s late-game offense all season. Bogavac often held the ball too long, unable to break down the defense or create rhythm for teammates. As a result, the Tar Heels strung together empty possessions at the worst possible time.

“They missed some shots,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said. “They shot poor from the three, and that was one of our fears because they are a pretty good three-point shooting team.”

Indeed, during that decisive 8:43 drought, Bogavac missed two threes and a jumper. Evans missed a three as well — the only shot he took during that crucial stretch.

“I feel like we had some open shots from the perimeter, and we didn’t shoot the ball very well,” UNC head coach Hubert Davis said after the game.

This pattern — long stretches of silence followed by hurried attempts to recover — has been manageable against mid-major opponents. Against Navy, UNC survived a prolonged scoring drought because its sheer talent advantage was enough to overcome mistakes. But against a March-caliber opponent like Michigan State, those lapses become fatal.

“We relaxed a couple minutes, and against these kinds of teams, we can’t do this,” Bogavac said. “It’s not possible.”

The Tar Heels know this loss will become a teaching moment. Michigan State’s physicality exposed UNC’s need for stronger decision-making, tougher possessions and more reliable perimeter shooting in high-pressure environments. The blueprint for defeating top-tier opponents requires resilience — not just scoring bursts, but steady, composed execution in late-game scenarios.

For now, the collapse in Fort Myers is a reminder that potential alone won’t carry North Carolina through the season. The talent is there. The energy is there. But closing time — the final eight minutes that define champions — remains a work in progress.

UNC leaves Florida knowing exactly what the next step must be: more composure, more purpose and, above all, more grit when the game tightens and every possession becomes a battle.

Because against teams like Michigan State, anything less than that will never be enough.