North Carolina -4 (-110) over Alabama
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- North Carolina is much better defensively than Alabama, ranking 6th in defense according to Kenpom, while the Crimson Tide rank 101st in that department.
- North Carolina has championship experience that Alabama can’t rely on in spots like this one.
The Alabama Crimson Tide will battle the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on March 28, 2024, at 9:39 pm ET. DraftKings Sportsbook initially listed the Crimson Tide as 4.5 point underdogs. Early betting trends show 11% of spread bets favoring Alabama, while the Tar Heels hold 89% of the bets. The total opening of 173.5 has seen 34% of wagers on the under and 66% on the over. Expect an exciting matchup between these two powerhouse teams, with a spot in the Elite 8 on the line.
For more on today's game check out the comprehensive statistics, betting odds, and trends below. Be sure to check out all our free NCAABB picks here.
The biggest matchup to watch in tonight’s Alabama vs North Carolina game is not the matchup between Alabama’s offense and North Carolina’s defense. Instead, it is the matchup between Alabama’s offense and Alabama’s defense. Specifically, the question will be whether or not Alabama can get enough stops on defense to allow their prolific offense to win this game at crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Alabama has the worst defense of any team remaining in this year’s NCAA Tournament by a wide margin. They are ranked 101st in defensive efficiency according to Kenpom, which ranks worse than even the NC State Wolfpack, who are still in the tournament as an 11-seed going into the Sweet 16. Alabama has been better on defense in the first two games of this tournament than they have been for much of the season, but they have faced two double-digit seeds, and North Carolina will be a much taller task for their defense.
As for North Carolina, the key to this Alabama vs North Carolina matchup for them will be stopping Mark Sears of the Crimson Tide. Sears has had a great tournament through the first weekend of action, averaging 28 points per game and helping his team create separation from their opponents. If UNC allows Sears to get going in this matchup, things could get tough for the Tar Heels in a hurry.
While Alabama’s offense is always scary to deal with, the superior defense and championship experience of North Carolina is too much for us to ignore in this Sweet 16 matchup. We will lay the points with the Tar Heels, who should move on to face the winner of the matchup between the Arizona Wildcats and Clemson Tigers.
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