Alabama (23-11) vs North Carolina (29-7)
When: Thursday, March 28th, 2024
Where: Crypto.com Arena,
Los Angeles, CA
Time: 9:40 ET | TV: CBS
Opening Odds: North Carolina -3.5/172.5
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There are some great Sweet 16 matchups this week including the one out West between the No. 4 seed Alabama Crimson Tide and top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels. This game will be played at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and the Tar Heels are a 4-point favorite with a high total of 173.5.
Both teams won their first and second round games by double-digits, however, the Tide struggled offensively in a 72-61 win over Grand Canyon last Sunday. Alabama has the No. 1 scoring offense in the country at 90.7 points a game, so it was a little surprising for them to get only 72 against a relatively unknown mid-major.
North Carolina cruised past Wagner 90-62 in the opening round and held off a pesky Michigan State squad 85-69 in Saturday’s second round. The Tar Heels aren’t too shabby on offense either, ranking 20th at 81.8 points per contest.
This will be the third meeting between the teams since 2019 and they split the first two. The Tar Heels won 76-67 in 2019 and the Tide won a wild 103-101 overtime thriller in 2022. Alabama is 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games, while North Carolina is 6-4 ATS. The Over has cashed in eight of the last 10 Bama games and is 5-5 in North Carolina’s last 10.
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
The Tide struggled against Grand Canyon, but the got the job done despite shooting only 36.9 percent from the field and 25.8 percent from beyond the arc. Mark Sears led the team with 26 points and recorded 12 rebounds and six assists. Mouhamed Dioubate scored only nine points but all of them came down the stretch to help seal the win. Lo and behold, that’s exactly how much Alabama won the game by. Rylan Griffen was the only other double-digit scorer with 13.
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
North Carolina struggled early in the first half against Michigan State, trailing 17-7 at one point, but the Tar Heels turned it up and proved to be too much for the Spartans. North Carolina held Michigan State to just six assists in the game and the starters shined on offense. RJ Davis had 20 points, Armando added 18 with seven boards, Harrison Ingram recorded 17 points and seven boards, while Cormac Ryan contributed 14 points.
PREDICTION
This one will be all about who can get the most key stops down the stretch. That edge goes to Carolina, as Alabama’s defense is one of the worst in the country. Yes, the offense is good, but it didn’t faze Grand Canyon. North Carolina is the better team and will ultimately get the win and cover here.
Pick: North Carolina -4
