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The Marquette Golden Eagles are set to face the North Carolina Tar Heels. Check out our March Madness odds series, which includes our Marquette North Carolina prediction, odds, and pick.
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The Marquette Golden Eagles struggled under former coach Steve Wojciechowski, a former Duke player and a member of the Mike Krzyzewski coaching tree. Marquette never met expectations or achieved the status the program had hoped for under Wojo. The Golden Eagles had reached the Elite Eight under former coach Buzz Williams in 2013. They were a regular factor in the NCAA Tournament. They clearly regressed in the Wojciechowski era, so they had to make a change. The man they selected has been to the Final Four as a head coach.
Shaka Smart, who guided VCU to the Final Four in 2011, struck out at Texas. He failed to get the Longhorns to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, let alone the third weekend (the Final Four). Shaka's Texas teams simply could not score enough to win. It was a frustrating experience for everyone involved, and so Smart jumped to Marquette so that Texas could hire Chris Beard. The move to Marquette has been good for everyone involved. Marquette swept the Villanova Wildcats, the signature achievement of Shaka's first year in Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles play very good defense. They need more on offense, but they have a lot to be optimistic about after achieving an NCAA berth in Year 1 of their new coach's tenure. Keep this in mind when making a Marquette North Carolina prediction.
North Carolina struggled for most of the year under first-year head coach Hubert Davis after Roy Williams retired. North Carolina could have hired Wes Miller, but it chose Davis, a former Tar Heel player under the legendary Dean Smith. Davis struggled to get North Carolina to play good defense for much of the season, and when UNC lost at home to Pittsburgh in February, the Tar Heels were in real danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. However, they won road games at Clemson and Virginia Tech to improve their resume. Then they won the big one, a road win at Duke in Mike Krzyzewski's final home game as a collegiate head coach. That stunning 94-81 win secured UNC's place in the NCAA Tournament. It changed the March Madness odds for the Tar Heels. It also gave the Carolina family increased trust in Davis, perhaps the biggest long-term result of that win over Duke. It's something to ponder when you arrive at your Marquette North Carolina pick.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Marquette-North Carolina odds:
March Madness Odds: Marquette-North Carolina Odds
Marquette: +3.5 (-110)
North Carolina: -3.5 (-110)
Over: 153 (-110)
Under: 153 (-110)
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Why Marquette Could Cover the Spread
The North Carolina team which has been playing in the ACC for a few months did not do well when playing outside the ACC. The ACC was down this year, and Marquette can take advantage.
Why North Carolina Could Cover the Spread
The Tar Heels don't have an elite defense, but Marquette does not have an elite offense which can punish UNC.
Final Marquette-North Carolina Prediction & Pick
The lack of quality in the 2022 ACC will show up here. Take Marquette.
Final Marquette-North Carolina Pick: Marquette +3.5
