Marquette Golden Eagles vs. North Carolina Tar Heels

Betting Odds

Point Spread: North Carolina(-4.5)
Game Total Line: (149)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

The No.11 seed Marquette Golden Eagles are looking to extend their time at the big dance with a win over the No.2 seed North Carolina Tar Heels in the first game of Friday’s Sweet 16 round of this year’s NCAA Men’s Tournament. This East Region matchup from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. (ET). The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS.

Marquette joins Connecticut as the only two survivors from the 11-team contingent of schools from Big East that made it into this tournament. The Golden Eagles made their way to the Sweet 16 with a 66-55 victory over No.6 seed Xavier as a one-point favorite followed by a dramatic 66-62 win as a 4 ½-point underdog over conference foe Syracuse, which was the East Region’s No.3 seed.

Junior guard Darius Johnson-Odom scored a team-high 17 points including a crucial three pointer with 27 seconds left, and junior forward Jae Crowder added 16 points off the bench to pace the win over the Orange. Odom joins senior guard/forward Jimmy Butler as the team’s leading scorers with each averaging 16 points a game.

The Golden Eagles out rebounded Syracuse 28-24, but that total was well below their season average of 36.2 rebounds a game. They shot just 41.2 percent from the floor, but were effective from three-point range; converting on 45.5 percent of their attempts. Marquette is shooting 46.8 percent from the field on the year and averaging 76.1 points a game.

North Carolina worked its way to a No.2 seed for this tournament with an 11-1 straight-up record in its final 12 games. The Tar Heels added two more wins to this record by rolling over No.15 seed Long Island 102-87 in the second round as an 18 ½-point favorite and pulling out an 86-83 victory over No.7 seed Washington as a four-point favorite in the third round.

Junior forward Tyler Zeller pumped-in a game-high 23 points and freshman forward Harrison Barnes added 22 points in the win over the Huskies. Zeller and Barnes are each averaging just over 15 points a game on the season, and along with sophomore forward John Henson, who is averaging 11.9 points and team-high 10.1 rebounds a game, form a solid trio of talent for the Tar Heels.

North Carolina is shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 33.2 percent from three-point range. It has struggled this season from the foul-line; converting on just 67 percent of its attempts. The Tar Heels remain to top rebounding team in the nation with an average of 43 boards a game.

Marquette is 4-2 against the spread in its last six games on the road and 4-1 ATS in its last five games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in nine of its last 10 games.

North Carolina is 3-1 ATS in its last four road games but just 1-1-4 ATS in its last six games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in three of its last four games.

Against the Spread Game Pick

The Tar Heels should be able to use their advantage under the boards to limit Marquette’s second-chance opportunities as well as create some of their own on the offensive side of the ball. Stick with North Carolina to win and cover the 4.5 points to advance to the Elite Eight.
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