One of the most intriguing matchups in the first round of the NCAA Tournament is ninth-seeded Wisconsin (17-12) against eighth-seeded North Carolina (18-10) on Friday night. Both teams are used to being top four seeds in March, and representing two of the biggest conferences in the Big Ten and ACC adds to the intrigue.
Tip-off is set for 7:10 pm. ET at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., on Friday and will be televised on CBS.
These teams met in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, with Wisconsin winning 79-72. The Tar Heels won home matchups in the 2011 and 2016 ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Tar Heels Have to Be Physical
The Tar Heels were 13-13-2 ATS this season but covered in four of their last six. They are a big, physical team that ranks fourth in the nation at 39.7 rebounds per game and are plus-11.1 on the boards.
The Tar Heels shoot just 30.9 percent from three-point range but still average nearly 75 points per game.
Forward Armando Bacot leads UNC at 12.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Forward Day’Ron Sharpe grabs 7.8 boards per game while forward Garrison Brooks is at 6.8.
Brooks also scores 10.2 points per game, with guard Caleb Love at 10.5 per game. The balanced scoring will make it tough for Wisconsin to key on one player, especially the way that North Carolina grabs offensive boards.
Bacot posted double-doubles in three of the last five games. Overall, North Carolina has had six different leading scorers in its last nine games.
The outside shot has been the Tar Heels’ biggest weakness as only Kerwin Walton has more than 32 makes on the season with his team-high 56.
Badgers Need to Dial it Up from Distance
Wisconsin is 12-15-2 ATS this season and 6-7 overall away from Madison. This isn’t your typical Badgers squad, as Greg Gard’s team has actually been outrebounded by 1.6 per game this season. Wisconsin also shoots just 42 percent from the field.
The Badgers allow 64 points per game, which ranks 37th in the nation, but they score just 68 points per game, which ranks 218th.
Wisconsin will look to control the pace as it doesn’t turn the ball over, ranking fourth in the nation in that department. The Badgers have three players, D’Mitrik Trice, Micah Potter and Brad Davison, shooting over 37 percent from deep, and they make 8.6 3-pointers per game as a team.
Trice leads the Badgers at 13.7 points per game, while Potter scores 12.8 and leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per game. Davison scores 9.4 per game, while Aleem Ford averages 8.7. Wisconsin shoots 77 percent from the line, so a tightly-called game could benefit the Badgers.
Betting Analysis
The Badgers are 3-6-1 ATS in the last 10, and they have scored more than 70 points just twice in those 10 games. North Carolina has gone over 70 in eight of its last nine games, with 80 or more points in five of those games.
The Tar Heels lead the nation in offensive rebounding and easy putbacks, plus controlling the pace should be too much for the Badgers.
Free Pick: North Carolina to win
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