UNC women's basketball to face Michigan State in NCAA Tournament

Diamond DeShields is glad it’s over.

No, not the North Carolina women’s basketball team’s season, which almost came to a screeching halt in the team’s 60-58 first-round NCAA Tournament win against 13th-seed UT Martin Sunday.

By no means would she have wanted the season to end that soon.

But the freshman guard is happy her first 40 minutes in the Big Dance is now a memory.

“It kind of reminded me of my first-ever state game in high school when the same thing happened to me — I ended up fouling out and I had bad nerves,” said DeShields, who scored a team-high 15 points before fouling out against the Skyhawks. “For me, it was really just getting it out the way.

“I understand now that teams are going to be a lot different in this tournament than they were in the season, only because this is the NCAA Tournament and there’s a lot at stake ... You have to expect that in every game. You’ve gotta come out ready to play your best game.”

For freshman guard Allisha Gray, the NCAA’s gift to UNC of hosting the opening two rounds at Carmichael Arena couldn’t even calm her down.

“I was definitely nervous.”

She swapped the adverb.

“I was real nervous before the game,” she said. “The atmosphere — it didn’t even feel like our gym. The lights were different. Everything just felt so different to me.

“But now, my jitters are gone. So tomorrow, I’ll be ready.”

Tonight, the Tar Heels (25-9) will face No. 5 seed Michigan State (23-9), which watched UNC’s game confidently in the Carmichael Arena upper level Sunday after a 91-61 thrashing of a 12th-seeded Hampton squad that hadn’t lost since December.

What the Spartans saw was UNC claw back from an 18-point second-half deficit. And similar to how they’ve done all season long, the Tar Heels waited until late — until their backs were against the wall — to start pushing.

“We haven’t figured it out yet,” said DeShields of the team’s tendency while teammate Xylina McDaniel laughed. “It’s still happening. Now is the time for us to pick it up. Now is the time for us to figure it out. So you can expect a better start tomorrow.”

A better start is a card the Tar Heels might have to throw on the table, matched up with a big Spartan squad that’s even more physical than the scrappy Skyhawks UNC saw in the first round. Four Spartans players average in double figures, led by guard Aerial Powers, who dominated Hampton with 26 points and 18 rebounds.

Michigan State reminds associate head coach Andrew Calder of a familiar foe of the Tar Heels.

“Maryland,” he said without hesitation.

But Calder knows he can’t rely on Maryland and Michigan State’s similarities. He can’t worry about UNC’s performance against UT Martin or the Spartans’ first-round blowout.

“To me,” he said. “It’s a new 40 minutes.”

For DeShields, Gray and the rest of the Tar Heels, maybe all they need is to put those first 40 minutes behind them.

sports@dailytarheel.com